Polish Farmers Stage Month-Long Protest Over EU Policies

Nationwide Demonstrations Get Underway
Convoys of tractors wrapped in Polish flags will drive through the northern Pomeranian province, as the wave of protest kicks off. Organizers warned that protests will continue across the country if the government does not acquiesce to their demands for compensation. The protest is expected to run until December 14, as a warning.

Farmers are angry with falling purchase prices for their products, rising costs of production, and rising competition from countries outside the European Union, such as Ukraine and South American countries. Farmers argue that the current agricultural policy in the EU has made locally produced farming unsustainable.

Brussels March and EU Policy Discussion
The protest will end with a collective agricultural protest in Brussels on December 18. The protest is planned in conjunction with EU discussions about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy they plan to adopt, as well as a trade deal between the EU and Mercosur, which farmers believe will create additional downward pressure on prices for EU-produced food.

Wiktor Szmulewicz, President of Poland's National Council of Agricultural Chambers, said the protests are also part of a bigger pan-European movement to defend fair practices in agriculture. Protesters are demanding compensation, guarantees in price, and monitoring of the market to assure fair play and prevent lost farms. "A farmer doesn't want handouts or privileges—just a fair market where everyone plays by the same rules," one protestor said.