Polish agricultures initiate demonstration at borderline with Lithuania
(MENAFN) Polish farmers have initiated a week-long protest along the border with Lithuania, specifically targeting the Budzisko-Kalvarija checkpoint, to voice their opposition to the importation of Ukrainian grain. This protest follows months of blockades at checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian frontier, where agricultural workers aimed to prevent the influx of low-cost produce from Ukraine into their markets.
The protest, organized by Polish agricultural workers, began on Friday and signals a new approach, shifting from blocking trucks at the Ukrainian border to targeting the Lithuanian border. The farmers argue that the import of Ukrainian grain provides an unfair advantage to producers from the neighboring country, who are not bound by European Union regulations or required to pay the bloc's taxes.
While the farmers have previously obstructed trucks from Ukraine at the border, the current protest adopts what Kalvarija's authorities describe as "a new form of protest" at the Lithuanian border. The goal, as stated by the authorities, is not to paralyze crucial transportation routes or intentionally harm businesses but to draw attention to the broader issue of transit for grain from Ukraine and other non-European Union countries passing through Lithuania.
Karol Pieczynski, the organizer of the protest, emphasized that the intention is not a total blockade but rather to inspect trucks entering Poland, in collaboration with the country's border guards, to verify if they carry grain. He asserted that not only Ukrainian but also Russian and Belarusian grain has been entering Poland through Lithuanian territory.
The farmers' protest underscores the ongoing tension between European Union member states and their neighboring nations, particularly concerning economic competition and compliance with European Union regulations. As the demonstration unfolds, it draws attention to the complexities of cross-border trade dynamics and the challenges faced by farmers seeking to protect their interests in the evolving agricultural landscape.
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