We will stand at the borders even until the harvest, say farmers protesting in Dorohusk and Dołoczów. The border in Hrebenne is also blocked.
Strikes at the border continue. Farmers say they will not give up. They are tired, resigned, but also determined.
We visited farmers protesting at the border.
Great determination in Dorohusk
The protest has been going on continuously since February 9. We expect immediate implementation of the arrangements made.
We have had two meetings with the Prime Minister, and there are still no details – says Marcin Wilgos, a farmer from the Dorohusk area. – There was an announcement of subsidies, but we still don’t know the details. No subsidy is a solution to the problem, because it is impossible to help everyone. Someone will always get hurt, he adds.
The farmer emphasizes that subsidies, or rather compensation, should not divide farmers. Those who sold grain before the new year will be harmed in this situation, and this causes unnecessary tensions. Similarly to determining the amounts depending on the date in which the raw material was sold.
If KOWR counts PLN 1,170 for the lease, a reasonable way to pay compensation would be to equalize this amount – he adds.
As Michał Sawicki, a farmer protesting in Dorohusk, points out, subsidies are not the most important element that farmers are fighting for. The basic demands are still the same – changes to the Green Deal and stabilization of the situation on the domestic market.
We are constantly at the border, we see what comes in and what goes out, but we see no improvement – adds Sawicki.
Farmers once again point out that fallowing or restrictions on the use of plant protection products are not the only problems they will have to face as part of the green reformation.
A big problem is the introduction of CO2 certification. In a few years, we will not sell our raw materials if we do not have a CO2 certificate. a similar situation will be in the case of breeders. We will have to pay additional tax. In the name of what and for whom – Wielgos asks.
As Michał Sawicki points out, the regulations that are supposed to cover agriculture are simply unfair.
We are charged taxes for CO2 emissions, but there is no concern that our production balances this in terms of emissions. These taxes are simply unfair, adds the farmer.
There will be another harvest soon. Farmers fear that they will have nowhere to sell their poloniums. At this point, feed wheat is already priced at PLN 530 and there is a problem with selling it.
How should we deal with this situation? – they ask. – We won’t go to the bank and say we’ll pay later, because no one will wait for it.
Not only plant producers but also breeders are in a difficult situation.
Why aren’t the authorities doing anything? – asks Paweł Ilasz, a farmer protesting in Dorohusk.
Farmers say politicians are dragging them as long as possible. Until the European Parliament elections. They are also afraid that their protests will be broken up by force immediately after the elections.
Let the authorities do what they have to do. The system is designed to be simple, easy and transparent. We, as farmers, will not be able to supervise either road or rail transport. This is the government’s role, says Marcin Wielgos. – I would like to appeal to those in power to take care of our interests. After all these arrangements, we still do not have any specifics, and the proposals that are being put forward are aimed at creating a wedge between farmers. Let them stop deceiving us and tell us what they can really do.
Farmers are very angry and feel very ignored. Their presence at the border has been ignored for several weeks. They also do not like the way in which the representatives of farmers are selected for talks with the government.
There should be a representation of two farmers from each voivodeship, then it would be transparent – says Piotr Olszewski, a farmer from the Lublin region. – It cannot be that six or eight randomly selected people will represent all of us.
…. and a lot of bitterness in Dołhobyczów
The second blocked border is Dołhobyczów. Trucks returning from Ukraine cross this crossing empty. Only one truck is allowed through per day.
When talking to protesting farmers, you can clearly feel tiredness and disappointment.
Piotr Jarczak, a farmer protesting in Dołhobyczów, says he sees no hope anymore. He also notes that farmers are having more and more problems repaying their liabilities.
I help with the payment of subsidies and I see that these fields are decreasing, says the farmer. – Farmers say directly that they had to sell a hectare or two to compensate for their liabilities, that they no longer have anything to pay for.
As in the case of farmers protesting in Dorohusk, those protesting in Dołhobyczów are also afraid that the protests will be forcibly dissolved after the elections.
It seems that maintaining the protests at the borders is becoming more and more difficult every day. Farmers are increasingly tired. During periods of intensified field work, establishing border duties is becoming more and more difficult. That is why they are asking for support from farmers from other parts of the country.
We will keep you updated on the situation at the borders.
