Five countries want to extend the list of products banned from Ukraine. There is a letter to the EC

Sunflower oil, flour, honey, sugar, soft fruit, eggs, milk and dairy products – according to Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary, these products should be banned from import. In a letter sent on Thursday, the ministers of agriculture of these countries wrote that – although its offer is a step in the right direction – it is insufficient. The Commission proposed to stop imports of wheat, corn, sunflower and rapeseed.

Import from Ukraine. “The entire burden of governance rests with just a few EU countries”

In addition, the ministers believe that the lifting of the import ban should take place only when the situation on the markets in the countries neighboring Ukraine is stabilized. “We cannot accept a situation where the entire burden of managing increased imports rests with just a few EU countries,” reads a fragment of the letter seen by Beata Płomecka, the Brussels correspondent of Polish Radio.

The ministers also wrote that the second package of financial support for farmers from the EU crisis reserve is a necessary complement to the extraordinary measures. “We call for a speedy conclusion of the work and immediate implementation of the package,” the ministers stressed.

Subsidies for farmers – how much will they amount to? Regulation published

Meanwhile, a regulation was published in the Journal of Laws concerning, inter alia, co-financing the transport of cereals and rapeseed to ports and financial assistance for farmers. The amount of the payment per ton of cereals and rape transported to Baltic ports from the Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie voivodships is to be PLN 100, Lubuskie, Wielkopolskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Łódzkie, Mazowieckie and Podlaskie – PLN 150, and Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Małopolskie, Śląskie , Świętokrzyskie, Opole and Lower Silesian – PLN 200.

The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture will provide financial assistance to farmers who are threatened with loss of financial liquidity due to restrictions on the agricultural market caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. For 3 years, it will pay interest on bank loans granted to the farmer until December 31, 2023 to maintain financial liquidity. The amount of bank loans covered by the aid may not exceed PLN 100,000. zloty. Applications for financial assistance will be due by the end of August 2023. The regulation enters into force 7 days after its announcement.