WARSAW – Poland said on Friday it would extend an embargo on Ukrainian grain, going against a European Commission decision announced earlier in the day to end the import ban.
“A government order extending the embargo on Ukrainian grain will be issued and published today,” government spokesman Piotr Muller told state news agency PAP.
“We do not agree with the European Commission’s decision and in the interest of Polish farmers and consumers, we are introducing national measures,” he added.
Hungary also said it would maintain restrictions on Ukrainian grain.
“Hungary is going to close its borders to 24 Ukrainian products,” up from four previously, Hungary’s Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said, in a statement posted on Facebook.
The move was to protect the interests of Hungary’s farmers, he said, adding that it “includes cereals, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, flour, cooking oil, honey, certain meats and eggs”.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has closed off Black Sea shipping lanes used before the war, resulting in the EU becoming a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain.
But in May, the EU began restricting the grain imports to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, seeking to protect their farmers who blamed the imports for a slump in prices on local markets.
All five had asked for the restrictions to be extended.
But the European Commission said on Friday that “existing measures will expire today” when they run out at midnight.
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