Polish farmers blocked roads and highways on Tuesday to protest against the adoption of a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, an association of South American countries. TASR writes about it according to the PAP agency. The protest actions of Polish farmers took place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. According to the organizers, there were almost 200 of them throughout Poland.
The European Commission planned to finalize trade pact with the member states of the association Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay by the end of the year. However, she postponed the signing of the agreement to January 12, mainly under pressure from France and Italy.
According to the EC, the agreement would create the largest free trade zone in the world and allowed EU member states to increase exports of vehicles, machinery, wine and spirits to Latin America. However, European farmers fear that they will face the pressure of cheaper agricultural products from Brazil and neighboring countries, which may flood European markets and bankrupt smaller farms.
Farmers protesting in the eastern Polish city of Lublin they said that the agreement with Mercosur will not only lead to the collapse of Polish agriculture, but will also have an adverse effect on other economic sectors. They also think the deal is meant to “save Western economies” while Poland suffers.
