Poland refuses to lift ban on Ukrainian agricultural products

Poland does not intend to lift its unilateral ban on imports of certain types of Ukrainian agricultural products.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Adam Nowak in Brussels.

According to Nowak, lifting the restrictions would harm Poland’s agricultural market, Polish farmers, and consumers.

“We see no possibility of lifting these decisions, that is, the unilateral ban we introduced, as it would be unfavorable for the Polish agricultural market, Polish farmers, and, most importantly in our view, also for consumers,” Nowak said.

The deputy minister also noted that Ukraine has been granted liberalized access to the European Union market without having to meet some of the requirements and standards that Polish farmers are obliged to follow.

Nowak said that during a recent visit to Poland by European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, the Polish side clearly outlined its position on the need to maintain the existing market protection mechanisms.

“We made it clear that we see no possibility of lifting this mechanism, as such trade liberalization is not in Poland’s interest. It is the only way to stabilize the Polish agricultural market,” the deputy minister stressed.

In 2023, Poland, along with several other EU countries, introduced unilateral restrictions on imports of certain types of Ukrainian agricultural products, citing the need to protect its own farmers from destabilization of the domestic market.