FOLLOWING on from last week’s report on Polish farmers’ protests, at the end of last week a letter was delivered to the Prime Minister of Poland, Ewa Kopasz, calling for immediate action in support of farmers' demands which still remain unaddressed.

Mr Kopasz was also presented with a basket of “illegal” traditional Polish farm foods by the director of the International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) and Goldman Prize laureate Jadwiga Lopata and ICPPC president Sir Julian Rose, accompanied by leaders of the Solidarity farmers’ union and a group of farmers.

The food basket highlighted the call to scrap the exceptionally harsh food regulatory codes that currently prevent Polish farmers selling their traditional on-farm processed foods.

Family farmers from different regions of Poland have been occupying the area outside Mr Kopasz’s palace in Warsaw for the last two weeks.

Sympathisers are bringing quality farm foods and other items to their “Green City” pavement camp which has been in place since February 19. Attempts to subvert farmers' demands continue, with a notable lack of reporting of the main issues.

Sir Julian Rose said: "It's a critical situation. The protesting farmers represent the last line of resistance against corporate and government collusion in the domination of Polish agriculture, with its attendant destruction of the biodiversity of the food chain and farmers' basic livelihoods."