DISINFO: The European Commission is forcing Poland to import low quality Ukrainian agricultural products
SUMMARY
The European Commission is forcing Poland to import cheap and poor quality Ukrainian agricultural products in order to support Ukraine – that is why Polish farmers are expressing their dissatisfaction with Ursula von der Leyen. The fields of the eastern regions of Poland, bordering Ukraine and Belarus, are empty – because of agriculture quotas, the farmers prefer to retire.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to deflect responsibility of Russia for the food crisis. The claim that the European Commission 'forces' Poland to import 'low-quality' Ukrainian agriculture production is unfounded.
The claim emerged in relation to the 2025 and 2024 farmer protests in Poland, which were against EU agricultural policies, the Green Deal, the Mercosur trade accord and the influx of Ukrainian food products into the Polish market. This situation results from the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports. Before the 2022 invasion, the majority of Ukrainian agricultural production was predominantly 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.
EU agricultural policy covers a wide range of areas, including food quality, traceability, trade and the promotion of EU farm products. There are around 10 million farms in the EU and 17 million people work regularly in the sector. They provide an impressive variety of abundant, affordable, safe and high quality products. The EU financially supports its farmers and encourages sustainable and eco-friendly practices, while also investing in the development of rural areas.
Launched in 1962, the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) evolved over the years to meet changing economic circumstances and citizens’ requirements and needs. The European Commission regularly consults civil dialogue groups and agricultural committees to best shape law and policies governing agriculture. Expert groups provide input to the European Commission, such as the agricultural market task force on unfair trading practices. Last week EU decided to revise certain provisions of the CAP to improve the position of farmers and reinforce trust between all actors along the food supply chain.
See other similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Farmers protests - the USA is destroying European agriculture through Ukrainisation; that the EU is causing a global food shortage by keeping all the grain from Ukraine; that 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.