Gridlock across Poland as farmers stage general strike

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Up to 70,000 Polish farmers are taking part in a nationwide protest on Wednesday against the inflow of products from Ukraine and the EU's climate policy. ​​​​​​​

Local media report that 560 roadblocks throughout Poland are causing serious traffic disruptions, which are expected to last 30 days.

Gazeta.pl reported that farmers announced raids of interchanges in all provincial cities, while in the capital Warsaw, the S2 route is blocked. A total of over 2,000 vehicles is expected to arrive in Krakow, a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic.

Talks between Czeslaw Siekierski, the agriculture minister, and representatives of several famers' groups and trade unions are scheduled to end on Wednesday.

The nationwide farmers' protest began on Feb. 9. On March 6 in Warsaw, farmers clashed with the police in front of the parliament.

The farmers' main demands are to stop the inflow of agri-food products from Ukraine to the Polish market and an end to the EU Green Deal.

EU decision-makers have made concessions on some issues regarding the Green Deal. Last Friday, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski announced that Brussels is abandoning mandatory leaving fields fallow and limiting pesticides, where instead of orders and bans, there will be financial incentives for farmers.