Polish farmers end tractor blockade at German border

Polish farmers drive their tractors on the A2 autostrada (European route 30) towards the German-Polish border. The protests by Polish farmers, which have been going on for weeks, are directed against the EU agricultural policy, and the import of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine. Patrick Pleul/dpa

Polish farmers have ended their blockade of a key motorway running across the German border set up a day earlier, Polish police said on Monday.

The protest was peaceful and traffic was back to normal, a police spokeswoman told dpa in the border town of Słubice.

The farmers had set up the blockade on the A2 motorway on Sunday at around 1 pm (1200 GMT) from the Świecko junction all the way to the German border - some 2.5 kilometres away.

Lorries, cars and buses were forced onto alternative routes due to tractors blocking the way in both directions.

The protests by Polish farmers are directed against EU agricultural policy as well as against the import of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine.

Farmers want to prevent cheaper Ukrainian grain from reaching the domestic market.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Brussels suspended all import tariffs and quotas on agricultural products from Ukraine to help the country economically.

Polish farmers drive their tractors on the A2 autostrada (European route 30) towards the German-Polish border. The protests by Polish farmers, which have been going on for weeks, are directed against the EU agricultural policy, and the import of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine. Patrick Pleul/dpa
Polish farmers drive their tractors on the A2 autostrada (European route 30) towards the German-Polish border. The protests by Polish farmers, which have been going on for weeks, are directed against the EU agricultural policy, and the import of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine. Patrick Pleul/dpa

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