Farmers are shaking up their protest strategy post-holidays, opting to skip roadblocks for a more direct approach: visiting parliamentary offices. Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Michał Kołodziejczak, isn’t sold on the idea.
For the past two months, they’ve spared ordinary citizens from road closures but haven’t backed down on their demands. Now, they’re gearing up to hit lawmakers’ offices on April 4, aiming to cover every inch from left to right.
Their plan? To deliver “symbolic gifts” from the countryside: eggs, potatoes, and natural fertilizer, says Mateusz Kulecki, a vocal farmer from Pomerania.
But they’re not stopping there. On June 4, they’re taking their cause to Brussels, uniting with discontented farmers across the EU.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Michał Kołodziejczak, announced that he would meet with farmers shortly after the holidays. However, he emphasized that discussions will only be held with those who have signed agreements with Minister Siekierski in Jasionka. He dismisses the post-holiday protest scheduled for Thursday as “unnecessary.”
“It is neither necessary nor will it change ongoing processes,” he said.
The main point of contention between farmers and the ministry is the import of agricultural products from Ukraine.
On Thursday, Polish-Ukrainian intergovernmental consultations were held in Warsaw, addressing issues such as problems with the export of Ukrainian products to Poland and the European Union.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated after the meeting that regarding the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, his aim is to develop a solution that “will provide a sense of security to our producers, our farmers.”