Polish farmers have resumed blocking the Medyka crossing, on the border with Ukraine. The news portal RMF24 reported this on Thursday. Farmers suspended the protest, which began in late November, during Christmas and New Year. The new Minister of Agriculture, Czeslaw Siekierski, had previously promised them that the government would respond to some of their demands, but that more time would be needed for implementation.
Protests over government subsidies
Farmers demand, among other things, government subsidies for the purchase of corn, the maintenance and increase of liquidity loans for farmers, and exemptions from property tax increases.
On Wednesday, protest coordinator Roman Kondrow told the PAP news agency: “We have not received any written confirmation that our demands will be met, so we are continuing the protest.” And on Thursday morning, Kondrow renewed his speech. in front of journalists directly at the blockade site in Medyka the demand for a written commitment: “If an agreement is signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers, we will suspend the protest as soon as possible,” RMF24 quoted him as saying.
There are traffic jams at the border © IMAGO / Dominika Zarzycka
Road transport companies have been protesting for some time at three other border crossings between Poland and Ukraine, demanding protection from competition from the neighboring country. On the Polish side of the Dorohusk, Hrebenne and Korczowa border crossings, truck traffic jams are several kilometers long. Ukraine has been fighting the Russian invasion since February 2022.