Mercosur is a trade bloc of South American countries and the farmers fear the deal will make their produce less competitive in the EU. They are also disgruntled by the Polish government increasing the rate of the agricultural tax. The farmers began their 24/7 protest on Saturday morning, with about 30 people walking along the pedestrian crossing carrying Polish flags. Trucks from Ukraine are blocked from entering and only one truck per hour is allowed to leave Poland.

The farmers’ blockade does not apply to passenger vehicles, buses, humanitarian and military transport, which can all pass freely.

The protest is planned to continue until the end of the year.

Poland’s agriculture minister said he supported the farmers’ demands regarding the Mercosur agreement.

“The farmers’ protest in Medyka has the same goal, for which I have been fighting on various fronts for a long time,” Czesław Siekierski wrote on X. “Let me remind you that we said NO to the agreement with the Mercosur countries in the Ministry of Agriculture.”

Siekierski also said in the post that the government will address the matter at the next cabinet meeting.

Polish farmers are not the only ones unhappy with the EU-Mercosur deal.

French farmers have also been protesting earlier this week, with one of their tactics involving the blockade of a border crossing with Spain. They fear a Mercosur accord will bring more beef, chicken, sugar and maize from Brazil and Argentina, countries they say use pesticides on crops and grow antibiotics in livestock that are outlawed in Europe.