Farmers in Bulgaria protest against imports of agricultural products from Ukraine

Bulgarian farmers have brought heavy machinery onto the roads, blocking traffic to protest the decision of the Bulgarian parliament not to extend the ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine after September 15.

Source. This was reported by the BBC.

Farmers demand to extend the ban on the import of these products, as well as to impose a ban on the import of unrefined oil, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products, meat and meat products, live animals and honey from Ukraine.

"These low prices will apply to almost all products – honey, vegetables, oil, sunflower and wheat. But they will not help to reduce prices for end consumers," Georgi Atanasov, one of the protesters in Burgas, said on Bulgarian public television.

On September 14, Bulgaria decided not to extend its ban on Ukrainian grain imports; in contrast, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia unilaterally imposed bans shortly after the European Commission's decision. Bulgarian farmers blame Ukrainian imports for falling prices on local markets.

Background. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Ukraine plans to file a WTO lawsuit against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over their refusal to lift the ban on Ukrainian agricultural products.