Polish farmers picket demanding to close the border with Germany

Polish farmers held a picket demanding to close the border with Germany, fearing the import of foot-and-mouth disease. This was reported by RMF24 radio station on January 27.

Pickets started at noon local time (14:00 Moscow time) in Kolbaskow, Swieck, Gubin, Jędrzychowice and Olszyn. According to the radio station, the farmers demand to close the border with the FRG for the transportation of livestock.

It is specified that the demand is connected with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Brandenburg, which was detected in a herd of water buffalo in early January.

"This (disease. - Ed.) poses a huge threat to both livestock and crop production in Poland and can lead to mass death of farm animals in a short time," shared Roman Waszczyk, a representative of protesting farmers in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

The first outbreak of FMD virus in Germany since 1988 was detected on January 10 on a farm in the federal state of Brandenburg. It was specified that the disease was registered in buffaloes. Due to the threat of FMD spread, Rosselkhoznadzor imposed a ban on imports of livestock products from the entire territory of the European Union (EU) on January 20.

January 22, the head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Sergei Dankvert, said that the agency does not rule out the easing of restrictions on imports of livestock products from the EU. According to him, the easing of the ban will take effect if the companies that were subject to the ban undergo a Russian inspection.