Polish farmers rally against EU-Mercosur trade deal

Warsaw, Jan. 10 -- Polish farmers held a protest on Friday, voicing strong opposition to the EU-Mercosur agreement, under which the EU will phase out tariffs on some 90 percent of Mercosur goods.

The farmers gathered around 11 a.m. local time in front of the Palace of Culture and Science in central Warsaw and marched to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, carrying Polish national flags and banners.

Slawomir Izdebski, leader of a major Polish farmers' union, said the protest aimed to reject both the EU-Mercosur agreement and the current government's policies on rural development and agriculture.

The EU's trade agreement with the South American Mercosur countries -- Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay - would grant preferential tari...