12
Mar
2024
Watch
Need to impose sanctions on the import of Russian and Belarusian food and agricultural products to the EU and to ensure stability of EU agricultural production (debate)
Mr President, thank you very much. In three or four months, the harvest will begin. In the warehouses of farmers in the European Union there is a surplus of cereals estimated at over 20 million tonnes, of which up to 9 million tonnes are cereals in the warehouses of Polish farmers. This is, of course, the result of Russia's criminal aggression against Ukraine, but also of the mistakes made by the European Commission. Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture, said a year ago that the import of cereals into the European Union was very much needed. As it turned out, the abolition of customs duties to help Ukraine made the costs of this aid dramatically burden our farmers. This surplus must be removed from the market and exported to countries in need. The European Commission should find the means to do so. Russia, which is the largest player on the world cereals market, cynically and deliberately lowering prices, led to the devastation of this market and to the pushing of Ukrainian cereals, EU cereals from the markets of African countries and from Asia. Russia treats grain as a weapon, a weapon also against the European Union, not only against Ukraine. As if that were not enough, Russia and Belarus still have access to the EU market. In the face of this catastrophic situation, I call for an immediate embargo on imports of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus.