In an effort to end the months-long blockade on the Ukraine border, Poland’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Czeslaw Siekierski, signed an agreement this past Saturday. The agreement was made with Teresa Kubas-Hul, the provincial governor of Pokarpackie, and Roman Kondrow, a representative of the farmer group Oszukana Wieś, otherwise known as Deceived Village. As a result of this pact, the ongoing blockade at the border crossing point at Medyka has been suspended. The complete details of this agreement can be found here.
The agreement dictates several key points designed to placate the farmers who had been protesting. Over the coming months, the minister plans to enact the farmers’ three key demands. These include the initiation of corn subsidies worth PLN 1 billion (approximately USD 250 million), an augmentation in agricultural lending by a minimum of PLN 2.5 billion, and a renewal of the agricultural tax rate at the 2023 level. However, these actions are contingent on successful completion of the requisite legislative proceedings and approval from the European Union (EU). The provincial governor of Pokarpackie will also assemble an agricultural advisory team which includes representation from the farmers. In return for these concessions, the Deceived Village has agreed to a suspension of protests during the implementation of these demands.
The Deceived Village protestors began their blockade of the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint in November 2023. The blockade resulted in significant disruptions to cross-border truck traffic, forming several-kilometer-long lines. Demands of the protestors included an array of requests, from restoration of permits concerning Ukraine to tightening of transport rules under the ECMT.
The farmers initiated the blockade as they claimed their revenues were in freefall due to unfair competition from Ukraine. They point to the Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine in June 2022, which permits permit-free movement of Ukrainian carriers to EU countries, and its extension for another year in June 2023, as the origin. This agreement, they argue, gives Ukrainian farmers an advantage in the marketplace due to their less expensive agricultural goods.
Despite a temporary suspension of the protest on December 24, 2023, the farmers resumed their blockade on January 4. In response, Siekierski acknowledged the need to offer aid to Ukraine but also underscored the necessity for quota regulations for goods entering the EU market. On January 5, Polish European Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski stated that he would advocate for the introduction of protective clauses during the extension of the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement to protect EU producers from an oversupply-related crisis and excessive competition.