Polish farmers have reached an agreement with the country’s government to end a blockade of a border crossing with Ukraine, according to Polish media.
The Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported yesterday (Sunday, January 7) that the blockading farmers – part of a group called ‘Deceived Countryside’ – and the country’s agriculture minister Czeslaw Siekierski had signed an agreement that will meet the farmers’ demands.
This will include a subsidy for corn of some €232 million, an increase of around €580 million in lending for agricultural purposes, and no further increase to agricultural taxes.
The farmers hade started their blockade on November 23, demanding subsidies for corn, additional money for loans, and maintaining the current level of agricultural tax throughout 2024.
The blockade had been suspended on December 24 for the Christmas period, but was restarted on January 4.
The terms of the agreement will be implemented after the necessary legislative process and approval from the European Commission.
Minister Siekierski said the agreement is “neither the beginning nor the end of dialogue which we have started with farmers and which we will continue”.
“We want to solve problems in dialogue and partner-like discussion,” the minister added.
PAP reported that the minister said it was necessary to offer aid to Ukraine, but to also have regulations which would define the amount of goods from Ukraine that could enter the European market.
German farmer protest
Separately, a nationwide protest by German farmers is set to get underway today (Monday, January 8).
The DBV, the largest farmer organisation in Germany, announced last week that its members, along with farmer organisations in the various states of Germany, would protest across the country throughout the week, culminating in a largescale demonstration in the capital city Berlin next Monday (January 15).
The DBV are protesting against plans by the national government to cut farmer tax reliefs for both agricultural diesel and the annual vehicle tax.
Last week the DBV said: “Together we want to continue to protest against the planned abolition of agricultural diesel and the vehicle tax exemption. We start on January 8 with appropriate demonstrations and actions across the country.
“The support among the population is great, extremely important and needs to be strengthened further,” the DBV said.