Solidarity plans to block Ukraine border stations

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Polish farmers from  Solidarity announced Friday that the trade union is planning a blockade of the country’s border crossings with Ukraine from Friday, 9 February, joining similar protests in Germany, France, Greece, Belgium, Ireland and Portugal.

Farmers say they oppose rising costs, EU climate change measures, and “unfair competition from abroad”, particularly cheap food imports from Ukraine.

“Our patience has run out,” Solidarity said in a statement Thursday, adding that the EU’s position is “unacceptable” to Poland’s farming community. The passivity of the Polish authorities “leaves us with no other choice but to declare a general strike”, the union said.

Solidarity also said it is planning intermittent road blockages nationwide from 9 February to 10 March.

EU faces angry farmers in Brussels

The European Commission (EC) said it was paying close attention to the concerns of farmers in several member states and is “assessing possible next steps”, an EC spokesperson told news agency Reuters.

A different farmers’ group earlier blocked a border crossing with Ukraine, but pulled the protest on 6 January after the new government agreed to its demands.

Farmers threw eggs at the European Parliament and lit fires in Brussels on Thursday, demanding that EU leaders do more to support the agricultural industry.