Polish Farmers Prepare to ‘Stop the Country’

The Polish government has failed to reach an agreement with protesters, prompting dissatisfied farmers to announce an escalation in their protests. They have vowed to halt all activity across Poland for 12 hours on March 20.

“Children won’t make it to school, adults won’t make it to work, but we have no other option. Our farms are on the brink of bankruptcy, and we must do everything we can to force the government to take us seriously. We need to live; we apologize for the inconveniences,” stated one farmer following a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

This marked the second round of negotiations between the Polish government and representatives of the farmers. Tusk promised protestors “great news” but limited the discussions to secondary issues. The farmers’ primary demands have yet to be met, as Tusk refused to block the import of Ukrainian agricultural products into the country and to ease EU environmental regulations.