Farmers in Europe continue to protest, despite EU concessions.
In Poland, where one million private farmers constitute an important voter group, investigations are now underway into whether a Russian influence operation is behind the protests.
– Putin wants to create division between Poland and Brussels, respectively Poland and Kiev, says analyst Sonia Sobczyk-Grygiel to TV4 Nyheterna.
Polish authorities are investigating whether the peasant protests in the country are part of a Russian hybrid war.
Poland’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Adam Nowak sees the protests as part of a larger Russian strategy to destabilize Europe, and reap economic benefits for its own grain and fertilizer exports.
Political protests
He also believes that some parties are fueling the farmers’ anger to win votes for the EU elections.
– We in the government have found good negotiation solutions, so in our opinion the Polish farmers now do not have many reasons to protest, he says.
Adam Nowak represents an EU-friendly government, and believes that Poland’s farmers tend to forget that they received around 100 billion euros in agricultural subsidies during 20 years of membership in the Union.
Strikes back
Solidarity, the largest farmers’ union in Poland, has been driving the protests. They stand for an EU-critical line, just like the previous national conservative government, but oppose that the protests are political.
– We do not identify with any party. It is true that we support what is right-wing conservative, in accordance with what is written on our flag – God, honor and motherland, says chairman Tomasz Obszański.
Difficult situation for farmers
Tadeusz Szymańczak, a 71-year-old farmer, used to take part in the protests, but now he thinks they have become too political.
He himself helped start Solidarity’s farmers’ union, but now he thinks they are running the affairs of the old, national conservative government. However, he is critical of the EU’s climate policy and of the very root of the protests: the import of cheap Ukrainian grain.
– Imports create unhealthy competition. We cannot let in grain from the east, which does not meet our requirements and also destroys Polish agriculture and affects the entire food supply in the EU. It is unacceptable, he says.