Following Latvia, Poland considers import bans for Russian, Belarusian grain

Poland will study Latvia’s decision to ban agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus and will look at imposing embargoes for grain to prevent it from destabilising the Polish market, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced at a press conference with his Latvian counterpart, Evika Siliņa.

Tusk was referencing Latvia’s decision on Thursday to approve a ban on agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus until at least 2025.

“We will carefully study this decision by Latvia and I do not rule out that Poland will also take appropriate steps,” he said during a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart, who was in Warsaw on Thursday.

Polish farmers continue to protest against increased food imports from Ukraine, including by blocking border crossings and major roads. However, according to Tusk, Ukraine is not the main culprit for destabilising the Polish market.

“Few people realise that the Polish and European market is being destabilised by (agri-food) products from Russia and Belarus,” the prime minister said.

He announced that he and Siliņa would try to persuade the EU institutions to consider “better, safer regulations” for imports of grain and other agricultural products from the East.

“We want to help Ukraine, and there is no difference between us, but we also want to stabilise the situation on our markets and protect our farmers. Latvia has a similar problem,” Tusk said.

Together with Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski and his deputies, Tusk met with the protesting farmers on Thursday afternoon as part of the Agriculture Summit.

However, Rural Solidarity (NSZZ RI “Solidarność”), one of the main movements behind the protests, decided to leave the meeting after a few minutes in protest at the fact that some movements, including the farmers protesting at the border, were not allowed to sit at the table.

“The government is trying to play the farmers,” the protesters said, as quoted by Radio Zet.

Tusk’s government has presented itself as one of the most supportive of farmers in the EU. But protesters say the cabinet is still doing too little to address the problems facing the farming sector.

“Politicians, who have been politicians all their lives, are too slow and too diplomatic in expressing their assessments of the situation,” Andrzej Danielak of the Polish Union of Poultry Breeders and Producers told Euractiv Poland.

“They probably do not feel the pain experienced by farmers who produce at low prices and at the same time have to repay their loans,” he added

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)