Polish farmers block the border with Germany again

2024-03-19 09:42:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Since Monday (18.03.), Polish farmers have also blocked the border points with Germany, this time for several days.

Polish farmers have again blocked the border points with Germany. They used tractors to block the highway bridge between the Polish city of Swiecko and Frankfurt (Oder). The border point of Gubinek, a little further south, has also been blocked due to the protest. Hundreds of Polish farmers have now gathered in the border area with their large agricultural machinery.

Polish farmers block the border with Germany again

"The blockade started on Sunday and will continue until Wednesday evening," a local police spokesman said. Hundreds of tractors were driving on the Polish A2 highway on Sunday morning in the direction of Siwecko and Oder. Mass farmers' protests are also planned across Poland for Wednesday as well.

The protests cause significant traffic restrictions. On the German side, traffic is being diverted from the highway before the border. It is not possible to enter or leave the site via the highway, a police spokesman said.

Until 18:00, trucks run daily on the route between Berlin and Warsaw. The protesters want to let medical personnel and special transports pass. A convoy of agricultural vehicles moves only on a highway. Some vehicles have Polish banners and flags.

Resentment against EU agricultural policy and duty-free imports

With their action, the farmers want to protest against the environmental regulations of the European Union. They also demand the reinstatement of tariffs on agricultural imports from Ukraine. From 2022, farmers there are allowed to import their grain into the EU duty-free, which, according to Polish farmers, is driving down prices. According to the organizers of the protest, this is the reason why they can no longer sell their grain.

Polish farmers block the border with Germany again

A meeting held last Saturday between representatives of Polish farmers and the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, did not lead to any agreement. Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski wants to meet with representatives of the sector on Tuesday to hold talks. The European Commission has proposed an easing of environmental regulations, which still need to be debated by member states and the European Parliament.

Repeated protests

It is not the first time that Polish farmers have called for this form of protest. They have been protesting for weeks, especially in the east of the country, where they are blocking the border points with Ukraine. At the end of February, a border point with Germany in the West was blocked for the first time. At that time, farmers from the German side also protested at the bridge in the city of Frankfurt (Oder) and at the Schwedt border crossing./ DW