Agrounia farmers demanded that the ministry provide a list of Polish businessmen allegedly buying cheap and subsidized Ukrainian grain instead of Polish grain. This demand reflects their concern about unfair competition and its impact on the Polish agricultural sector.
The turmoil at the ministry was widely reported throughout the Polish media, including videos showing shouting and swearing between State Secretary Janusz Kowalski and Michal Kolodziejczyk.
Later that day, Agriculture Minister Robert Telus accused the protesting farmers of not opposing the proposal from the Polish opposition in the Senate to remove European multi-million subsidies from certain agricultural sectors in order to use them for fuel and fertilizer subsidies.
This incident occurs at a critical moment in Polish politics, with parliamentary elections scheduled for later this fall. Due to the outbreak of swine fever, Polish agriculture has already taken significant hits in recent years, and the EU decision to exempt Ukrainian agricultural exports from import duties has also created substantial new competition.
Moreover, European criteria for agricultural subsidies and the farm-to-fork policies impose new demands for modernization of the Polish agricultural sector. This fuels resistance in rural areas against 'new rules imposed by Warsaw and Brussels.' This has already led to the departure of two Agriculture Ministers over the past two years.
The ruling center-right nationalist PiS coalition thus faces the challenge of maintaining its majority this fall, and the situation is further complicated by the rise of new players in the political landscape.
One of these new actors is Donald Tusk, former Polish prime minister and former President of the European Council. Tusk is entering the Polish electoral competition with a new Polish liberal party.
Additionally, Michal Kolodziejczyk has announced that Agrounia also intends to enter politics. This could contribute to further fragmentation of the Polish political landscape and challenges the traditional power structures.