The grain crisis could hit another industry. “The government was not consulted. Where did this idea come from?”

– The government did not consult about the blockade, I do not know where this idea came from – said Edward Bajko, former president of the Spomlek cooperative in an interview with “”. In turn, Agnieszka Maliszewska, president of the Polish Chamber of Milk, added that products ordered to Ukraine “may not be accepted” if Ukrainians take retaliatory measures.

Blocking imports from Ukraine. The European Commission will conduct an investigation

In April, the Polish government introduced a blockade of imports of agri-food products from, e.g. cereals and products. On Friday, with five countries, including Poland, it reached an agreement on solving the problem of excessive inflow of products from Ukraine. EU bans are to replace those introduced by Member States. The Commission will ban imports of wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower, and will conduct a swift investigation into the rest of the products – including eggs, poultry and dairy products. If the investigation confirms that the situation in the markets is destabilized, quotas and duties will be reinstated. Agnieszka Maliszewska, director of the Polish Chamber of Milk and vice-president of the international organization COPA-COGECA, warned that blocking the import of dairy products from Ukraine was a “very bad idea”. – With the crisis we have in the milk sector, additionally closing the Ukrainian market for us would be a tragedy – she told RMF FM.

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski: Ukraine has twice as much milk and beef as Poland

A special investigation by the European Commission will determine whether a safeguard mechanism will be introduced for imports of agri-food products from Ukraine that are not covered by the EU agreement reached. In the proceedings, the EC will examine in particular the impact of imports on the market, assess whether there has been a violation of the regulations, and check how imports affect the situation of farmers. The EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, pointed to the need to carry out this type of analysis on the poultry, sugar and egg markets. During the press conference, he explained that the special procedure would result in restoring the previous state and introducing a quota for a given product. – I strongly support this procedure in relation to poultry, because there is actually one producer in Ukraine – a very large one – which may actually have a certain market advantage. We need to react to this, but that would mean restoring the tariff that was in force, i.e. the tariff quota – 90,000 tonnes for the entire European Union – said the EU Commissioner for Agriculture.

Janusz Wojciechowski also noted that the Ukrainian market of animal products does not pose a threat to the Polish market. He indicated that Ukraine has two times less beef and milk than Poland, pork – three times less. Only eggs have more, but – as he noted – this is not a scale that threatens the Polish market. – Of course, you have to look very carefully at what comes from Ukraine, observe this market, but there are some exaggerated beliefs about the threat posed by Ukraine. Because – of course – Ukraine has twice as much grain as Poland – it is a large grain producer and exporter, while – when it comes to animal products – it has twice as much as Poland – pointed out the EU Commissioner for Agriculture.