Czech and Slovak farmers blocked border crossing due to imports from Ukraine
28.02.2025 - 11:18
Czech and Slovak farmers disrupted border crossings to protest imports from Ukraine and South America.
On Thursday, February 27, farmers from Hungary and Austria joined protests at the border crossing between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Reuters reported.
They held signs reading “Stop grain from Ukraine” and “Green Deal is a dead end,” the latter referring to the EU’s climate strategy.
The protesters’ main criticism was directed at the deal between the EU and the South American bloc Mercosur, concluded in December, as well as the duty-free imports from Ukraine.
“What worries me is that I have to comply with an incredible number of requirements, fill out documents, registrations and the like,” said Czech farmer Petr Halupka. “At the same time, I cannot sell my goods at the price at which they are imported here — both from the east and even from South America.”
Protests also took place at other border crossings, including the Polish border.
Farmers’ associations are demanding that the Mercosur agreement be blocked, a new agreement with Ukraine to protect European agriculture be reached, and bureaucratic procedures in the EU be reduced.
USM previously reported that four EU countries are asking for the return of pre-war quotas for agricultural products from Ukraine.
