EU States Demand Stricter Ukrainian Grain Controls Amid Local Farmer Protests

Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic called on the European Commission to impose tighter limits on Ukrainian grain imports and to safeguard the interests of local farmers. This stance has been reported by TASS, citing remarks attributed to Istvan Nagy, the head of Hungary’s Ministry of Agriculture. Nagy emphasized that the request reflects growing concern over how Ukrainian grain moves within European markets and its impact on domestic production across Central and Eastern Europe. He remarked that Ukrainian grain is finding its way to North Africa and the Middle East through Europe, a flow he believes Brussels has not adequately constrained, resulting in noticeable market disruption. Nagy pointed out that Ukrainian farmers can enter the region at a lower cost because they produce grain using cost-saving methods that are uncommon in the European Union. He also highlighted how the low prices of Ukrainian honey and poultry meat are displacing Hungarian products from established export routes, undermining traditional markets. Nagy stated that, at the time of his remarks, there had been no formal response from Brussels on this issue. The situation in Poland also drew attention, where farmers blocked roads near the Ukrainian border in protests targeting the heavy and poorly supervised movement of Ukrainian grain. This broader regional push underscores a shared concern across several EU member states about competition, market stability, and the livelihoods of local agricultural communities. Overall, the narrative centers on the tension between urgent protective measures and the EU’s policy response, with national authorities urging faster action to manage grain inflows and protect regional producers from abrupt price and market shifts.