Thousands of Trucks Stuck on Polish-Ukrainian Border as Polish Farmers Resume Blockade

Approximately 1,300 trucks are queueing at three checkpoints towards Poland from Ukraine as of this morning after Polish farmers resumed the border blockade, according to a Ukrainian official.

These included the Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne, Shehyni-Medyka and Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoints, where the longest queue was formed at the Yahodyn checkpoint.

“For the past day, we have seen an increase in queues on the territory of Poland for those cargo vehicles waiting for the opportunity to cross the border to Ukraine,” said Andriy Demchenko, spokesman of the State Border Guard Service, on television.

Demchenko said there has also been an increase in traffic from Poland to Ukraine at the Krakivets-Korczowa checkpoint, which was not targeted by the blockade.

“As of this morning, there are a little more than 800 freight vehicles in queues opposite ‘Krakivets’ in the direction of Ukraine on the territory of Poland,” said Demchenko.

The protest staged by Polish farmers, which would take place at over 250 locations across Poland for a month, came about in response to the EU’s decision not to limit Ukrainian agricultural imports, which the Polish farmers said has led to excessive competition inside the nation.

Marcin Wilgos, a protest organizer, said Ukrainian farmers are not bound by EU regulations, and thus were able to lower the costs and as a result, created fierce competition in the Polish market.

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“The glut of products from Ukraine, produced not in accordance with EU standards and procedures, is a huge burden for us,” Wilgos said.

Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski told state radio on Friday that it would consider a “complete” ban on certain Ukrainian agricultural imports.

“It may be needed for sugar, if the influx is too large. It may be needed for poultry,” Siekierski said, adding that the government intended to raise the issue in talks with Kyiv.

(Update: As of 14:00, protesters ceased the blockade at the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint and traffic has been restored, according to the State Border Service of Ukraine.)