Farmers’ protests: EU restricts some tariff-free imports from Ukraine

Following months of protests by European farmers, the European Commission has proposed capping duty-free imports of some Ukrainian agricultural products.

Under the proposal, oats, eggs, poultry meat and sugar could be subject to restrictions to prevent cheap imports that would affect farmers in the EU.

All other Ukrainian imports into the EU will remain duty-free until at least June 2025.

These include wheat and barley, despite farmers’ opposition.

The European Commission’s proposal will now need to be approved by EU member states and the European Parliament.

In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, duty-free imports were brought in to support Ukrainian agriculture.

This sparked widespread protests by Eastern European farmers who say they are being penalized by cheap Ukrainian produce that does not comply with EU standards.

In response, the EU announced in January that it would introduce a “safeguard mechanism” that would allow it to reimpose emergency tariffs on Ukraine if excess imports threaten to destabilize the market.

The EU has laid out its latest set of measures, saying the decision to cap duty-free imports from Ukraine will “relieve pressure on EU farmers if they are overwhelmed by a sudden surge in imports from Ukraine.” .

However, many farmer unions remain unconvinced.

“This proposal fails to address the concerns of producers and remains unacceptable,” said Christiane Lambert of Copa Cogeca, an influential European farmers’ association.

The head of the French Young Farmers’ Union told French media that the agreement was “a step in the right direction…but it’s not yet far enough.”

French Agriculture Minister Marc Fezneault said the deal should have included more grains, including wheat, and said the final proposal was “not what he wanted.”

On Wednesday, thousands of Polish farmers again blocked roads and border crossings with tractors. Police estimate that 70,000 people will attend.

Since the protests began earlier this year, the EU has moved to allay some of farmers’ concerns, particularly regarding the region’s sustainability goals.

The EU made specific demands on the agricultural sector to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions and said it would withdraw a proposal to halve pesticide use. It also granted some exemptions from rules regarding land fallow.