DISINFO: Farmers protests - the USA is destroying European agriculture through Ukrainisation
SUMMARY
The Polish farmers appear at the forefront of the fight to save European agriculture. In recent years, there has been an intense devastation of farmers in the EU. This development can be considered a process of Ukrainianisation and Americanisation at the same time. If the EU did not want to ruin its own farmers, it would open a corridor for grain from Ukraine.
Biden has done a lot for the destruction of the European economy. This process will cause the emergence of an anti-American movement in the EU and Poland. The strongest anti-Ukrainian sentiments will emerge when the Ukrainian Front collapses and the Bandera soldiers flee towards the Polish border. The Polish Army will then have to combat the influx of armed Ukrainian gangs
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to deflect responsibility from Russia for the food crisis and supply insecurity. The second narrative is the claim about the upcoming collapse of the Ukrainian state as a result of a military defeat by Russia.
The claim that the USA and Ukraine are attempting to destroy European agriculture is unfounded.
The claim emerged in relation to the 2024 farmer protests in Poland, which were against EU agricultural policies and the influx of Ukrainian food products into the Polish market. This situation directly results from the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports. Before the 2022 invasion, a predominant majority of Ukrainian agricultural production was exported through the Black Sea.
Russia's responsibility for the global food crisis comes as a consequence of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine: naval blockade of Ukrainian posts, bombardment of transport infrastructure and shelling of farming regions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine.
On 22 July 2022, an agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye to open a safe maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea (the Black Sea Grain Initiative). Over 1000 ships full of grain and other foodstuffs left Ukraine from three Ukrainian ports (Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi) during the implementation of the initiative.
As of July 2023, almost 33 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs had been exported via the Black Sea Grain Initiative. 65% of the wheat exported through the Black Sea Grain Initiative reached developing countries. Maize was exported almost equally to developed and developing countries.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP – the largest humanitarian organisation in the world) also shipped wheat from Black Sea ports. As of July 2023, the programme had bought 80% of its grain stock from Ukraine, up from 50% before the war. Over 725 000 tonnes of wheat left Ukrainian ports to Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti during the implementation of the initiative.
In July 2023, Russia announced its decision to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russian withdrawal from grain deal puts Africa at risk of increased food insecurity. Despite the Russian withdrawal, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey are continuing their efforts to enable the Ukrainian sea exports – these three countries carry out demining of the Black Sea from Russian mines.
See other similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that the EU is causing a global food shortage by keeping all the grain from Ukraine; Western sanctions cause a food crisis and price growth, that the food crisis has nothing to do with the Russian special operation, that Russia places no obstacles on the export of Ukrainian grain, or that Kyiv burned grains in Mariupol and mined the Black Sea to prevent its exportation.