Poland: Farmers Block Border Crossing with Ukraine

Following a wave of protests in France, on Saturday, November 23, as well as in Poland, many hundreds of angry Polish farmers began a 24-hour blockade of the border crossing with Ukraine in the town of Medyka. According to the protest organizers, Polish farmers want to challenge again and again the Polish government’s policy of supporting the agri-food sector and denounce the European Union’s agreement with the Latin American countries of the Mercosur bloc.

Polish farmers blocked a highway connecting Poland to Ukraine to prevent trucks from entering Poland from Ukraine, while allowing traffic in the opposite direction, but only for an hour. The blockage will not affect private cars and passenger buses.

In recent weeks, there has been a massive protest by farmers in France against the possible signing of a free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. The initiative was announced by the National Federation of French Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), the main trade union in the sector, and coincided with the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. French authorities have registered “about forty actions” across France, in which 2500 people took part. FNSEA emphasized the desire not to inconvenience fellow citizens by blocking roads. For this reason, the protest took place primarily in the form of a series of “bonfires of anger”: bonfires set up at traffic circles and squares where groups of farmers gathered.

In solidarity with the country’s agricultural community, French supermarket company Carrefour has decided to suspend the sale of meat from Mercosur countries. According to Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard (pictured), “farmers across France are expressing despair and indignation in the face of a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur that risks flooding the French market with meat that does not meet its requirements and standards.” To respond to these concerns, Carrefour pledges to “no longer sell meat from Mercosur,” a commercial zone that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. The French company’s CEO said he hoped the decision could “inspire other operators in the agri-food sector” and contribute to a broader solidarity movement beyond the distribution sector. Bompard emphasized that Carrefour is already committed to supporting the French origin of the meat sold in its stores and made “a call” to the restaurant sector, which accounts for more than 30% of meat consumption in France, of which 60% is imported. “Carrefour is ready to give up Mercosur meat, regardless of the price and quantity of meat offered,” Bompard emphasized.