Page 74 - Spring2015

Farm and Ranch

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FARMERS UPRISING IN POLAND
By Christina Sarich

MARCH 2, 2015: Poland’s largest farmer upris- FOUR DEMANDS
ing ever has occurred as convoys of tractors The famers have four simple key demands:
took to the roads recently in protest of GMO
infiltration and land grabs by biotech and Big • Regulation of land grabs by primarily West-
Ag corporations. ern companies (translation—biotech and Big
Thousands of farmers blocked roadways Ag) to prevent small farmers from losing
and held numerous demonstrations in order to their livelihoods.
bring attention to the important issue of food • The legalization of direct sale of produce and
sovereignty in Poland. Their focus is a ban on other foods from farms to the people. This
GMOs and a restoration of small farmers̕ rights cuts out the middle man and allows the high-
after decades of oppressive health and safety er quality produce of many farms to reach
regulations, which take rights away from small their customers directly. Poland currently
farms and give them to mono-cropping, poison- has some of the most extreme policies of all
ing Big Ag mega-companies. of Europe in this regard, making it nearly
The farmers have been stalwart—refusing to impossible for small farmers to compete
call off their demonstrations until their demands with big food companies who are notorious
are met. Rallies and demonstrations have taken for selling fake and highly processed foods.
place around the country—in over fifty locations. • Change inheritance laws so that families can
Hundreds are picketing government offices in rightly leave land under lease to their heirs.
addition to the road blockades. • Ban the cultivation of genetically modified
In the largest organized farmers̕ protest the organisms.
country has likely ever seen, the farmers are de-
manding that legislators protect the small farmer One farmer stated: “We demand the intro-
from exploitation by monopolizing companies duction of legislation that will protect Polish land
These and refuse to sell-off their country’s land to these from exploitation by foreign capital! Agricultural
provinces are behemoths. As the farmers point out, once the land cannot be sold to commercial companies.
land is sold, the Big Ag model can’t be stopped, It’s part of Polish territory. Once sold it will be
especially up- and the land is forever lost. lost.”
Until government officials agree to talk with
set about not the farming unions, they have vowed to keep up AN INTENSE ESCALATION OF EVENTS
being able their efforts. Edward Kosmal, chairman of the The farmers̕ protests represent a dramatic
to sell their farmers̕ protest committee for the West Pomera- increase in activist fervor that has been boiling

produce, nian Region said: to the surface for over a year, with marked unrest
“We are ready for dialogue. We look forward in the northern provinces.

which is to meeting with you, Prime Minister, and begin- These provinces are especially upset about
mostly ning a comprehensive government commitment not being able to sell their produce, which is
organic to solving the problems of Polish agriculture. If mostly organic though uncertified. It is usually
you do not enter into a dialogue with the Union, of higher quality than the food grown on mod-
though we will be forced to step up our protests.” ern industrial farms. Poland is one of the last
uncertified. places in Europe where peasant farmers still use
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