The list of agricultural products banned for import from Ukraine to Poland as of 16 April includes a broad list of grains, flour and starch, as well as, sugar, caramel, seeds for sowing, vegetables and fruits, including exotic ones, dairy products, honey, wine, livestock products and live animals, as well as dog and cat food packaged for retail sale.
According to the text of the annex to the decree of the Minister of Development and Technology of Poland Waldemar Buda dated April 15, 2023 (Interfax-Ukraine news agency has a copy), since April 16 imports of sugar maize (fresh and chilled) from Ukraine to Poland are prohibited, except for hybrids for sowing; Seeds of soft wheat and meslin, spelt, soft wheat and meslin, except for sowing, rye, barley, oats, grain sorghum, except for hybrids for sowing, buckwheat, millet, canary seed, other cereals, durum wheat: wheat and meslin flour; rye flour; wheat cereals; malt, even roasted; grain flour; and, corn, barley and oat flakes; wheat, corn, potato and other kinds of starch.
The list also included lactose, maltose, glucose, fructose in solid form; sugar syrups without added flavorings or colorings, artificial honey mixed or not with natural honey; and caramel. Also sugar beet, sugar cane, cane or beet sugar, including chemically pure sucrose, maple sugar and maple syrup. Melass obtained from the extraction or refining of sugar, beet pulp.
A range of seeds for sowing, including sweet corn hybrids, seed peas, chickpeas, crude rice, grain sorghum hybrids, linseeds; canola seeds, sunflower seeds (crushed or uncrushed; for sowing), other oilseeds and fruits; flax and hemp;
The range of fruits and vegetables prohibited for importation includes: tomatoes fresh or chilled, onions, shallots, garlic, leeks and other onion vegetables; cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, leafy cabbage and similar edible vegetables; lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and chicory (Cichorium spp. ), carrots, turnips, salad beets, goatweed, celery, radishes and similar edible root vegetables, fresh or refrigerated. Also, cucumbers and gherkins, fresh or refrigerated; leguminous vegetables, peeled or unpeeled, fresh or refrigerated; nuts; fresh and dried bananas; fresh figs; pineapples; avocados; guavas mangoes and mangosteens; citrus fruits; table grapes, fresh; melons (including watermelons); papaya; apples, pears and quinces, fresh apricots, cherries, peaches (including nectarines), plums, other fruits.
It is prohibited to import not only raw vegetables, but also steamed or cooked in water, frozen, canned, dried. Under the ban are jams, marmalades, marmalades, fruit purees; wine, including grape juice and grape must; wine made from fresh grapes, including fortified wines; fresh grapes, except table grapes; vinegar.
The list includes a wide range of animal products: beef, veal, live animals of domestic species of cattle, except purebred farm animals; meat of cattle, fresh or chilled; beef frozen, salted, in brine, dried or smoked; Meat or meat by-products meal and meal; other prepared or preserved meat; live stock – thoroughbred breeding animals; preserved meat; by-products and offal; poultry meat and offal; Pig fat, meat and edible by-products of domestic pigs, sausages and similar products of meat, meat by-products or blood; swine fat (including lard); prepared products or preserves of the liver of any animal except goose or duck; pigs; mutton and goat meat; lambs (under one year of age), live sheep, except purebred breeding animals and lambs; sheep and goat meat; live swine; chilled and frozen swine meat; horses, including purebred breeding animals.
Ukraine will temporarily refrain from exporting grain and sunflower to Poland until the new season in order to solve the problem of overstocking the Polish market and protests of Polish farmers, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported, citing Ukrainian Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food Nicholas Solski.
“We all understand who is to blame for this situation, but we must solve the problem. Therefore, Ukraine will refrain from exporting wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflowers to Poland (until the new season),” the Polish agency quoted Solsky from a joint press conference on Friday with his Polish colleague Robert Telus at the border with Ukraine in Dorohusk.
“The Ukrainian side made a proposal to very much limit for some time, and at the moment even stop the flow of grain to Poland,” Telus said, in turn.
As reported, April 5, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw said that the parties have found a way out of the problem of Ukrainian grain exports to Poland.
“We discussed the issues of our farmers – Polish and Ukrainian. We have found a way out. I believe that in the coming days, weeks we will finally solve all the issues, because there cannot be any difficulties between such close partners and real friends as Poland and Ukraine,” Zelenski said.
Earlier, the governments of Poland and Romania announced their intention to ask the European Commission to develop mechanisms that would help avoid price dumping to the detriment of local farmers.
Polish farmers threatened to disrupt the events during Zelenski’s visit to Warsaw, and Polish Minister of Agricultural Policy Henryk Kowalczyk resigned.
If the international community had been able to “push” Russia to increase ship inspections in the Bosporus, Ukraine would have been able to reduce the flow of grain traffic through European countries, Solsky said then, in turn.
Poland on 27 March has changed the rules for importing pets from Ukraine, the press service of the Main Veterinary Inspectorate of the country said.
It is noted that under the new rules of importation of animals to Poland, transported animals must meet the requirements of the European Union legislation.
In particular, dogs, cats and ferrets under the standard procedure will be able to accompany travelers if the animal is properly microchipped, has a current rabies vaccination, a current serological test to determine the antibody titer against rabies, and a health certificate in accordance with a sample established by EU legislation, or in certain cases, a valid passport issued in one of the EU member states.
“In order to facilitate movement within the EU, until further notice, Polish services will not require a 90-day waiting period from the date of blood sample collection to test the antibody titer against rabies in serum if the test result is satisfactory (> 0.5 IU/ml) and is indicated on the animal health certificate,” the report states.
It specifies that the Ukrainian official veterinarian must cross out the relevant endorsement of the 90-day waiting period in the certificate of health of the animal, putting his signature and stamp with his name in the margin of the crossed out endorsement.
“The health certificate must be accompanied by documentation of the examination,” the inspection concluded.
Leaders of five Central and Eastern European countries have urged the European Commission to take action in connection with a surplus of grain and other Ukrainian food on their territory, the Associated Press reported from Warsaw.
“We call on the European Commission to study the possibility of buying accumulated grain from EU member states bordering Ukraine for humanitarian needs,” reads a letter addressed to EC President Ursula von der Leyen on behalf of the prime ministers of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
“We also reiterate our call for financial support from the EU to accelerate the development of transport infrastructure (for the export of grain – IF),” it says.
It is pointed out that such products remain on the shelves of these countries in excess, reducing prices, and do not reach the countries that are ready to buy them outside the EU.
The European Commission earlier said that it intended to quickly launch an assistance mechanism for countries that faced an influx of Ukrainian products.
Ukrainian online retailer Rozetka has launched operations in Poland, Rozetka co-founder Vladislav Chechotkin said.
“Rozetka has started working in Poland. So far, we are in test mode: we are checking all the processes, filling the website with assortment, and setting up all the logistics links,” he wrote on Facebook.
Chechotkin noted that they are counting on both a large Ukrainian audience (more than 2 million Ukrainians live in Poland) and a local one.
“I am grateful to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for making this possible! For the fact that a year after the start of a full-scale war, we not only survived, but can now develop our business. And to all our customers, for whom we have remained “just right every time,” he said.
Rozetka, an online electronics and home appliances store, was founded in 2005 in Kyiv by Vladislav and Irina Chechotkin. In the following years, the company transformed into a multi-category online marketplace. In December 2022, Rozetka’s traffic reached 40 million people per month.
Poland will provide treatment and rehabilitation for 2,500 wounded Ukrainian soldiers, Vladimir Zelenski said at a press conference after talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Kiev on Friday.
“I will separately note the interaction on the treatment and rehabilitation of our soldiers. 2,500 of our military will be able to receive such assistance,” Zielenski said.
According to him, “Poland was with us every minute of this year and will be with us until the joint victory.”
Zelensky reminded that Poland is one of the top partners of Ukraine in defense support. “Poland has become one of the founders of the ‘tank coalition.’ Today we can report the first tanks (received – IF) from Poland,” he said.
The head of state also expressed the hope that “we will be able to overcome the taboo on the ‘air coalition’. This will strengthen the Ukrainian army and security of our airspace”.
The president also said that during the negotiations the simplification of “processes at the border” was discussed. “Supply chains were built across the border. When the war started, these chains gave everything – water, food, weapons, people. Gradually we simplified the procedures to keep our people alive,” he said.
