Farmers March in Poland's Capital; Cut off Roads in Spain to Protest Ukraine Imports, EU policies

Thousands of farmers marched in Poland's capital and Spanish farmers cut off traffic on highways near French border on Tuesday in latest protests against food imports from Ukraine and European Union's agricultural policies. actions follow similar protests across Europe in recent weeks, and come as West is experience growing fatigue in helping Ukrainians as y try to push back Russia's invasion.

Farmers and ir supporters blew horns and burned smoke bombs in white-and-red colours of national flag in front of Polish parliament in Warsaw before marching to offices of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Warsaw city hall estimated that 10,000 people took part. Protesters want a withdrawal from EU's Green Deal, a plan meant to fight climate change and help environment with measures that y say are too costly.

protesters are also demanding a ban on imports of Ukrainian grain and or produce and allege that poorer quality Ukrainian produce is harming country's food supply and putting its important agricultural sector in jeopardy. y are angry at EU for lifting tariffs on Ukrainian food imports while Ukraine — a major food producer — sought ways get its food to global markets with war hampering transport in Black Sea.

swell of protests across 27-member EU have become a major challenge for leers, most of whom strongly support Ukraine but are forced to respond to rising social anger.

“We want to help Ukraine," Tusk said in Prague, where he travelled for a meeting of regional leers on Tuesday. “But it cant be done through actions that are lethal to whole areas of ecomy.” “body has right to believe that Czech Republic or Poland do t support Ukraine,” he said, appearing alongside Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

“But at same time, we soberly assess negative impact of decision on free tre with Ukraine, which has a negative impact on our ecomies. And we will work toger in Brussels to make corrections that will protect common European market against negative effects of such a decision.” Tusk also said EU's Green Deal has praiseworthy climate goals but that some provisions are a “burden hard to shoulder, especially for medium-size and small farm producers”.

Tusk also ted that EU food producers cant compete with Ukrainians because " standards that are required of European and Polish farm producers are very high. re are procedural requirements, standards required of Ukrainian foods”.

mood at Warsaw's protest h anti-Ukrainian undertones.

“Stop poisoned food from Ukraine in Polish stores,” re a sign in front of Polish parliament, while ar said: “European policies destroy farmers. to goods from Ukraine.” Tusk last week insisted that Polish farmers are by and large t anti-Ukrainian, ting that many of m are same people who have extended help to Ukrainian refugees. But Polish officials are also worried about risk of pro-Russian elements infiltrating farmers movement to stir up anti-Ukrainian feelings.

Among protesters was an insurance nt, Tomasz Zrodowski, who said he took part to support farmers. He deunced EU's Green Deal as an “ideology of stupidity”.

He also said he feared Polish agricultural sector will end up as ar victim of Russian President Vlmir Putin's war. “We support Ukraine but we can't help Ukraine if we go bankrupt. Food is a weapon for Putin, just like oil and gas," he said. From Italy to Spain to Belgium and elsewhere, farmers' protests have me ir plight a key political me ahe of June 6-9 parliamentary elections in EU.

In Spain on Tuesday, farmers cut off traffic on highways in rast Catalonia, on border with France. Spanish farmers have been protesting regularly in recent weeks, and several hundred tractors rolled into Mrid last Wednesday in ir largest show of force yet. EU Commission has alrey me some concessions to farmers, including postponing a cut in pesticide use until after elections.