The protesting farmers allowed all passenger cars and buses to go through, however, only one truck per hour was permitted to pass.

Roman Kondrów, the leader of the protesting farmers’ organization, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the blockade which had started on Thursday as a warning protest would last 48 hours.

“If the government does not see us, does not take us seriously, and does not start meeting our demands, we will block the crossings permanently,” he announced.

Kondrów added that the agreement signed in the south-eastern town of Jasionka in mid-March this year was not being implemented by the government.

Under the deal, the agriculture minister was to ask Prime Minister Donald Tusk to stop the transit of embargoed farm produce from Ukraine through Poland.

The parties also said trade relations between the two countries must be regulated.

“The government is ignoring us, meetings were held in Warsaw, but they brought nothing. The Ukrainian side is very demanding and does not want any compromise,” Kondrów said.

Protests ognoing

Farmers have been protesting for months, arguing that the surge of agricultural imports from Ukraine compromises their competitiveness due to the lower pricing of these imports.

They demand subsidies for corn, additional money for liquidity loans, and maintaining the current level of agricultural tax throughout the next year.