Polish farmers’ protests crank up pressure on EU agriculture head Janusz Wojciechowski

“There is a man in Europe who united all European and Polish farmers against the reform he proposed. This is Janusz Wojciechowski. Resign!” said Deputy Prime Minister Wladysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Wojciechowski was also criticised by the leader of the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party that proposed him for the position. Jarosław Kaczynski said he would call the commissioner to ask him to quit.

About 100 farmers and 50 cars blocked the approach to the Medyka border crossing, blocking traffic for all vehicles, Ukrainian border service spokesman Andriy Demchenko said on television.

The Ukrainian border service also said that traffic flow had been affected at two other crossings.

Polish media said there were over 250 blockades across the country. Images showed convoys of tractors clogging roads and banners such as “Without us, you will be hungry, naked and sober”.

“Today the whole of Europe is on fire. The Green Deal has arrived, which has destroyed our thinking about agriculture,” one of the protesters, Wieslaw Gryn, told private broadcaster TVN24 at the Hrubieszow border crossing.

Tractors converge on Rome as farmers protest across Europe

“We are not against pro-ecological solutions, but they must be agreed with farmers.”

Poland’s agriculture minister said he understood the challenges farmers were facing but he hoped the protests could be organised in a way to be “the least burdensome for citizens”.

“Farmers have legitimate concerns, expectations and demands to limit the excessive inflow of goods from Ukraine, as well as from other non-European markets to the EU, especially to Poland,” Czeslaw Siekierski told public radio on Friday.