Protesting farmers in Poland launched a 48-hour sit-in at the Agriculture Ministry to object to “gross mistreatment” following the collapse of government talks, Remix reported.
Representatives of agricultural organisations involved in talks with the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MRiRW) on Tuesday refused to leave the building and announced a two-day strike.
12 people barricaded themselves inside the ministry building, vowing to stay there for 48 hours. More farmers are expected to arrive, demanding that Prime Minister Donald Tusk come to negotiate with them.
We have been treated very badly because the prime minister did not show up. I think he will reconsider and come.
The farmers, who signed an agreement with Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski and Deputy Minister Michał Kołodziejczak in Jasionka in March, arrived in Warsaw to ensure compliance with the agreements, which were due to be implemented on 1 April.
The agreements include a request to the agriculture minister to ask Prime Minister Donald Tusk to stop the transit through Poland of agricultural products under embargo from Ukraine.
The Ministry of Agriculture issued a statement on the negotiations, emphasising that following the agreement in Jasionka, ministerial discussions and consultations between Poland and Ukraine took place, as well as a meeting between representatives of agricultural associations from both sides and an intergovernmental meeting.
“The agreements reached in Jasionka have been significantly implemented. We maintain an embargo on imports to Poland of grains, corn, rapeseed, sunflower, flour, bran, and meal (…) from Ukraine, and we are working on maintaining the level of agricultural tax for 2023.”
It also noted that the Ukrainian side announced a reduction in the transit of its agricultural products through Poland from April to June. According to Siekierski, a number of actions require numerous inter-ministerial agreements and specific procedures that expand the implementation of the agreements.
However, the explanation was not so convincing for the farmers. The sit-in at the ministry would continue “until appropriate regulations are established,” they declared.
