On December 30, a nationwide farmers’ protest under the slogan “Stop Mercosur” will take place across Poland. “We cannot remain silent! The planned EU-Mercosur trade agreement is a direct threat to Polish agriculture, food security, and the future of our farms,” the farmers warn. Protests will be held in at least several dozen locations throughout the country.
“Stop Mercosur”
On December 18, farmers from across Europe gathered in the capital of Belgium to protest against European agricultural policy and the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Among those blocking Brussels with tractors were also trade unionists from Poland. The signing of the EU-Mercosur agreement was postponed for a short time; however, another attempt is expected as early as the beginning of January 2026.
“The anger of Italian, Dutch, French, and Belgian farmers was incredible. What was happening there on the ground – hundreds of tractors in front of the European Parliament, piles of burning tires, tons of dumped vegetables – shows that the policies of the EU and Ursula von der Leyen are leading all of us to bankruptcy,” said Tomasz Ognisty, deputy chairman of the Independent Farmers’ Trade Union “Solidarity” (NSZZ RI “Solidarność”), on TV Republika.
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, adviser to the President of the Republic of Poland, called on farmers to protest “in Rome and Warsaw,” pointing out that these are two key hubs for the future of the Mercosur agreement. “The battle has been won at this stage, but if Poland and Italy fall out, the case will be lost. The war has not yet been won,” he said. Polish farmers have announced a nationwide protest against the agreement with Mercosur countries for the coming Tuesday, December 30.
According to the portal Tygodnik Rolniczy, “the protests are to take the form of stationary gatherings of tractors and agricultural vehicles along roads and overpasses, without blocking traffic.”
The protest is to last from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30.
“We are not blocking – we are showing presence, unity, and strength. We want the end of the year to be a clear signal to the authorities in Warsaw and Brussels: Polish farmers speak with one voice and do not agree to unfair competition and the dismantling of European agriculture,” we read on the profile of Oddolny Ogólnopolski Protest Rolników.
The protest organizers demand that the Sejm of the Republic of Poland adopt “an unambiguous resolution obliging the government of the Republic of Poland to firmly oppose the EU-Mercosur agreement.”
Farmers warn that the agreement with Mercosur would mean flooding the market with cheap food from outside the EU, produced to lower standards, as well as a lack of real protection for European farmers and the collapse of family farms.
It has been pointed out that the “protective clauses” adopted in the EU agreement are merely cosmetic. In addition to Mercosur, farmers are also expected to be burdened by a new EU-Ukraine trade agreement, the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP, WPR), and growing pressures on European farmers.