Polish agriculture minister appeals to farmers to unblock border checkpoints

Poland's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Czesław Siekierski, has urged farmers to end the checkpoint blockade on the Ukrainian border as soon as possible.

Source: press service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland

Details: It is worth noting that on the eve of the protests, the minister spoke with representatives of farmer unions and organisations, asking them to specify the exact reasons for the protests so that people could understand them.

Quote: "I also asked the farmers not to make the protests too destructive, and that people be understanding of the farmers. We must be reasonable," Siekierski emphasised.

According to the ministry, Siekierski also urged the farmers to end the blockades as soon as possible and recognise that not all problems can be solved immediately.

"We will not talk specifics on the street –  instead, I invite you to contact us at the ministry. We need you to collaborate. I need your help to meet your demands," Siekierski told the farmers who were protesting.

Furthermore, the minister stated that negotiations with the European Commission are ongoing, with the goal of cancelling unjustified landscaping requirements, as well as technical negotiations with Ukraine.

Background: 

• On Friday, traffic through the Medyka-Shehyni, Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska and Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoints was hampered because of the protests of Polish farmers.
• Hungarian farmers organised a protest near the Záhony checkpoint on the border with Ukraine, opposing the European Commission's decision to extend duty-free imports of Ukrainian products for another year.

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