Fear of Lachy. Mercosur was supposed to harm Polish farmers – but does it help?
Unequal competition and the inflow of cheaper food to Poland – this is why farmers protested against the EU agreement with Mercosur countries. Meanwhile, it is completely different.
“I would like to kindly inform you that, according to preliminary data for May, the first month of the EU-MERCOSUR agreement, Polish exports of agri-food products to this region increased year-on-year from EUR 4.4 million in 2025 to EUR 5.8 million. Imports decreased. Well done Polish farmers, breeders and processors!” – wrote Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski on social media.
Minister Sikorski relied on the latest statistics from the Central Statistical Office. Were farmers’ fears and protests exaggerated? They still say no.
Imports decreased, exports increased. Farmers’ concerns remained
Mercosur, i.e. the Common Market of the South (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur) is a South American economic and political organization that serves as a customs union. By the way, this is one of the largest trading blocs in the world. It brings together Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.
After more than 20 years of negotiations, in May 2026, the European Union concluded a comprehensive partnership and free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. The agreement created a gigantic market of 780 million consumers, but also aroused protests among European and Polish farmers, based on the consequences of unequal competition of agricultural products imported to EU countries, which may lead to a decline in prices on the European market and the displacement of local producers.
A question hangs over the agreement with the southern countries: will Europe still produce food at all, or will it only consume it?
It turns out that the value of imports from Mercosur countries to Poland in May 2026 amounted to EUR 141 million and was lower than in April (EUR 149 million), and lower than the average monthly throughout 2025 (EUR 142 million). However, the value of exports to Mercosur countries amounted to EUR 5.8 million in May and was higher than in April 2026 (EUR 3.8 million). But farmers’ concerns remained.
Farmers still worried. The EU market may shrink for Poles
Ph.D. Łukasz Ambroziak from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics National Research Institute in Warsaw is not as enthusiastic as Radosław Sikorski. “One month is not enough to assess the impact of the agreement on trade flows. In the case of trade with overseas countries, sometimes even one transaction – the arrival of one ship – can distort the statistics,” he explained on social media.
He drew completely different conclusions from the same data as Minister Sikorski: the value of May exports was higher than in April, but still lower than the average monthly in 2025 – EUR 6.9 million.
Farmers’ concerns remained because they were not about Poland suddenly being flooded with imports of agricultural goods from South American countries, but about it happening gradually. And when this happens, Mercoscur will take away our export directions to the European Union from Poles. So there can be no question of success, colors and congratulations.
– Politicians do not understand that the agreement with Mercosur applies to the entire EU, not just Poland. Products from these countries do not have to end up in Poland for us to experience negative effects, it is enough that they displace our products from other European countries, and 75 percent Polish food exports are the European Union countries – explained Marcin Wroński from the Self-Defense Agricultural Trade Union on social media.
