Polish farmers call for subsidies outside EU

21-10-2009 | Home | News

Polish farmers want to receive subsidies for pork exports outside the European Union, Polish media reports.

By Evegen Vorotnikov
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According to sources in the Ministry of Agriculture of the country, soon a special delegation of Polish farmers will visit Brussels in order to discuss the possibility of additional governmental support.
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According to the Polish farmers, in the first half of this year pork exports from the EU declined by nearly 15%, causing their huge losses, local media reports.

Currently the EU pork exports are steadily declining as a result of the influx of cheaper meat from Brazil and the U.S. The global financial crisis has already resulted in shifting consumer demand towards cheaper meat, especially in Eastern Europe where local consumers can no longer afford to buy expensive EU meat.

A lower demand for EU pork has already caused its overproduction. As a result, pork prices in Poland and some others European countries have fallen at record rate.

As the Polish press reports, the negotiations in Brussels about the implementation of export subsidies will start in the coming days. Currently, the main initiators of this idea are Polish farmers; however under certain circumstances it could find much broader support.