Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development began inspections at border crossings. Inspectors have confirmed excessive imports of sugar, oil, and processed cereals. Minister Czeslaw Siekierski visited the Korczowa, Medyka and Hrebenne border crossings as part of his checks on imports of agricultural and food products from Ukraine.

“Excessive imports of agricultural products from Ukraine, which do not meet EU production requirements, threaten the competitiveness of Polish agriculture”, said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The minister expressed concern that the final recipients of many shipments are Lithuania and Latvia, as it can be assumed that goods transported to them will end up back in Poland. “Due to the high export of goods from Ukraine to EU countries, we are being pushed out of EU markets”, reminded the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

At the border crossing point in Medyka, Minister Siekierski spoke to farmers, representatives of the ‘Deceived Village’ association, about strengthening border controls.

“We are at the Medyka transhipment station. It is here that trains with grain, sugar, and other goods, as well as industrial goods from Ukraine arrive. Later, these goods either continue in transit or are transshipped and exported towards Germany and Polish ports, and some of them reach the Polish market”, said the Minister of Agriculture.

During his visit to the border crossing in Hrebenne, Minister Siekierski said that the inspections carried out had shown the need to strengthen the Veterinary Inspection at the borders. The Minister announced the intensification of controls and greater activation of the work of the inspection.

“Additional veterinarians need to be employed there. Excessive imports of sugar, oil and cereal products such as flours, cereal middlings, especially maize, into the Polish market have also been confirmed”, stressed the head of the Ministry.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński