(CNN) Poland and Hungary have banned the import of grain and other food products from Ukraine following an influx of cheap goods.
The Polish prime minister’s office said the move was “to protect the Polish agricultural market against destabilization.”
Ukraine responded by saying that it “regrets the decision of its Polish counterparts” and is ready to cooperate with Poland in an investigation into any possible abuses.
Hungarian Minister of Agriculture István Nagy on Sunday announced that Budapest will also temporarily ban the import of grains, oil seeds and other agricultural products from Ukraine, saying that the move was necessary ” without meaningful steps by the EU.”
The European Commission condemned the move, saying it was not for individual members to decide trade policy.
“It is important to underline that trade policy is an exclusive competence of the EU and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable,” the commission’s Arianna Podestà told CNN.
When Russia invaded Ukraine it blocked the ports and sea routes used to export Ukrainian grain to Africa and the Middle East.
Fearing widespread starvation, the European Union removed duties on grain from Ukraine to ease distribution on world markets.
Ukrainian grain has since flowed into Poland but much of it has remained in the country, driving down prices and causing Polish farmers to suffer huge financial losses.
Farmers across central and eastern Europe demonstrated against Ukrainian grain imports.
Protesters blocked traffic and border checkpoints with tractors along the border between Romania and Bulgaria, in an effort to prevent Ukrainian trucks from entering their country.
Police and border guards protect a train carrying Ukrainian grain on a large scale railway line in Hrubieszow, Poland, on April 12, 2023.
Local producers say they cannot compete with Ukrainian grain prices and demand compensation from the European Commission.
Anger grew after the European Commission announced a draft decision to extend duty-free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian grain until June 2024, prompting the resignation of the Polish agriculture minister.
There is similar opposition in Bulgaria, where producers complain of warehouses full of products they cannot sell.
“Bulgaria is in unity with Ukraine, but a local glut is created in the agricultural market, because instead of export corridors our countries have become warehouses,” said the minister of agriculture of Bulgaria Yavor Gechev.
