Poland refuses to lift Ukraine grain embargo despite EU pressure
Deputy minister Adam Nowak told a Brussels meeting that lifting the ban would hit farmers and consumers, as the European Commission warns of possible infringement proceedings.
Poland refuses to lift embargo
Poland will not withdraw its unilateral ban on selected Ukrainian agricultural products, Deputy Agriculture Minister Adam Nowak said after a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on Monday. He pointed to the approaching harvest, when grain prices are seasonally lowest and many farmers lack storage capacity, forcing them to sell directly from the field. Lifting the ban now, he argued, would destabilise the market.
Given the situation on agricultural markets — we are before the harvest, when grain prices are usually lowest, because farmers are often forced to sell straight from the field as they have no storage — we see no possibility of lifting this unilateral ban, as it would be unfavourable for Polish agricultural markets, for Polish farmers and, most importantly, in our view also for consumers.
European Commission cites new trade deal
The European Commission continues to press for the embargo's removal. Spokesman Olof Gill recalled last week that a new EU-Ukraine trade agreement has been in force since November 2025, introducing lower tariff-rate quotas designed to shield EU farmers. In the Commission's view, the bans kept by Poland, Slovakia and Hungary are no longer justified and risk fragmenting the single market.
We do not rule out the possibility that additional steps will be needed at some point, but at this stage we continue our engagement (in talks) and it will stay that way for now.
Unequal standards and harvest vulnerability
Nowak stressed that Ukrainian producers enjoy liberalised market access without meeting the rigorous standards imposed on Polish farmers. That asymmetry, combined with the seasonal pressure of the harvest, makes Warsaw unwilling to compromise. The current embargo was introduced after a surge of Ukrainian agricultural products flooded the EU market following the 2022 trade liberalisation, which triggered sharp price falls and severe difficulties for domestic growers.
Ukraine gained liberalised access to European markets without having to meet the same stringent standards that Polish farmers had to meet and still meet, so for now we see no prospect of lifting the embargo.
Hansen visit brought no shift
EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen travelled to Poland on 18 and 19 June for the Krajowe Dni Pola field days and held meetings with the banking sector, agricultural organisations and joint parliamentary commissions. Warsaw used the occasion to deliver an unambiguous message.
We clearly signalled that we see no possibility of lifting this mechanism, because trade liberalisation is detrimental to Poland; it is the only rescue for the stability of the agricultural market in Poland.
Key moments in the dispute
- EU liberalises trade with Ukraine; a surge of agricultural imports leads Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to impose unilateral embargoes.
- New EU-Ukraine trade agreement comes into effect with lower quotas to protect European farmers.
- EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen visits Poland, hears Warsaw's opposition to lifting the embargo.
- Deputy Minister Adam Nowak tells EU agriculture ministers in Brussels that Poland cannot lift the ban ahead of the harvest.
What happens next
The Commission has not launched an infringement procedure yet, but Gill's statement signals that Brussels is keeping the option open. Meanwhile Poland, Slovakia and Hungary maintain their embargoes, arguing that the new trade deal, while limiting sensitive goods such as sugar, poultry, eggs, wheat, corn and honey, does not offset the competitive imbalance. No date for further talks has been announced.
