Burning straw, apples, pig carcass at Polish farmers protest paralyse Warsaw traffic





Scores of Polish farmers, many wearing fluorescent jackets similar to those worn by protestors in France's "yellow vest" movement blocked rush hour traffic in central Warsaw on Wednesday with piles of burning straw, apples and a pig carcass strewn across the road.

Farmers blocked roads to protest government policy and poor handling of swine flu problem Polish farmers... czytaj dalej » The farmers demanded the government introduces legislation guaranteeing that at least 50 percent of produce stocked in Polish supermarkets is home grown and that produce is clearly labelled with its country of origin.

AGROunia, a Polish nationwide farmers' association behind the protest, also called for greater support for Polish cattle and swine breeders.

According to the Warsaw police, several people were detained during the protest.

Pedestrians were spotted picking apples as municipal workers cleared the roads.

"Farmers' protests, that make life harder for the residents of Warsaw, are only causing harm for their cause, instead of helping it. They also don't raise sympathy towards the farmers' community," said the Minister of Agriculture Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski.

The spokeswoman for the ruling Law and Justice party, Beata Mazurek said that "everyone has the right to protest, however, the form of protest that negatively impact the lives and functioning of others is, in my view, unacceptable".