On February 9, 2024, farmers in all European Union countries started a strike against the European Commission’s agricultural policy, especially the assumptions of the Green Deal. The fact is that EU action in agriculture has led to the collapse of many millions of farms across the EU. Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski admitted that in the years 2010-2020, 3 million farms disappeared from the maps of EU countries, which means a drop from 12 to 9 million. This equates to approximately 800 farms disappearing every day. The scale of the problem is therefore huge, and the good will of EU decision-makers is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Our patience has run out. The position of Brussels on the last day of January 2024 is unacceptable for our entire agricultural community. Additionally, the passivity of the Polish authorities and declarations of cooperation with the European Commission and announcements to respect all decisions of the European Commission on the import of agricultural produce and food products from Ukraine leaves us no choice but to declare a general strike” – the protest organizers said in a specially issued statement.
“There is no consent to the implementation of the European Green Deal, the EU ‘farm to fork’ strategy and the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union in its proposed form. The Polish government must have a clear plan for agricultural production, production profitability, reconstruction of Polish processing and Polish trade. About then we will fight until the end. Polish family farms are the basis of the country’s food security. Healthy Polish food produced by Polish farmers is the basis for the nutrition and health of Polish citizens. The Presidium of NSZZ RI “Solidarity” appeals for SOLIDARITY of the entire agricultural community” – they explained calling for joint action and expressing opposition to the current situation.
It is worth noting that the European Commission has been acting for many years as if it wanted to eliminate agricultural production from the entire European Union. On the one hand, it imposes strict restrictions and requirements that farmers must meet if they want to sell their produce, and on the other hand, it tries to outsource agricultural products, regardless of their quality, from countries where agricultural production is dominated by large corporations. An example may be the previous attempt to conclude agreements with MERCOSUR countries, and now the import of cheap and substandard EU products from Ukraine. On the one hand, the EU increases the costs of product production by farmers in EU countries, and on the other hand, it does not require that food imported from outside the EU from an associated country meet EU standards, which significantly lowers the cost of production, which is where large corporations make money.
It seems that the key to understanding this process is the fact that in Ukraine – as in South America – agricultural activities are conducted primarily by corporations and the EU establishment do everything for their profits. It is impossible not to come to the conclusion that the entire Green Deal is aimed at leading to the takeover of production and agricultural land in EU countries by transnational corporations, while depriving the current owners of their property. Such a scenario would be in line with the doctrine of Altiero Spinelli, who wrote in the Ventotene Manifesto: “Private property should be abolished, limited, corrected, expanded, according to each individual case, non-dogmatically and principledly”. This document is currently – and is officially included in EU development plans – the core of EU policy. This transfer of ownership is to take place by imposing such heavy green levies that none of the small farmers can afford to maintain their farms and, in a sense, force them to sell their lands to corporations. It seems that this is also the reason why the EC does nothing to enable farmers to sell their products at a fair price, condemning them to vegetation and even bankruptcy.
The Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers “Solidarity”, at the meeting of the Union’s Presidium on January 31, 2024, unanimously adopted a resolution to announce a general strike of farmers throughout the country, which will begin with a blockade of all border crossings between Poland and Ukraine, along with blockades of roads and highways in individual voivodeships on February 9, 2024 at 10.00.
Anna Wiejak