New Regulation on the transit of agricultural products from Ukraine through Poland

Publication date: April 21, 2023

On Friday, April 21, 2023, the Regulation of the Minister of Development and Technology was published in the Journal of Laws, authorizing the transit of agricultural products from Ukraine through Poland. It abolished the regulations contained in the regulation of April 15, 2023, which introduced a total ban on importing agricultural products to Poland. After the meeting of the government of the Republic of Poland and Ukraine on April 19, 2023, it was decided to resume the transit. However, the new regulations contain safeguards to ensure that all products are exported from the territory of the Republic of Poland. Pursuant to the Regulation, the carriage of goods will be possible only in a situation where the transit ends in the seaports of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Świnoujście or Szczecin, and in a situation where it ends outside the territory of the Republic of Poland. The Regulation itself is to apply from April 21, 2023 to June 30, 2023. At the same time, the ban on importing products to Poland from Ukraine is maintained.

The Regulation applies to products such as cereals, sugars, dried fodder, seeds, hops, flax and hemp, fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetable products, wines, beef and veal, milk and milk products, pork, mutton and goat meat, eggs, poultry meat, ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, bee products, other products excluding CN codes falling within heading 0101 (live horses, donkeys, mules and hinnies).

Products covered by the Regulation

Securing the transit of agricultural products

The Polish Minister of Development and Technology announced the introduction of a provision securing transit and preventing products from remaining on Polish territory. The products will not be able to be withdrawn from transit and the SENT system (System of Electronic Supervision of Transport) and GPS seals will be placed on them. This is a system for the transport of sensitive goods, which was introduced in the Act of March 9, 2017 on the system for monitoring the road transport of goods. This system monitors the transport and turnover of goods starting or ending on the territory of Poland, starting or ending outside Poland but passing through its territory. It is a mandatory system, and each carrier is obliged to equip the means of transport with a device that transmits geolocation data. In addition, transit is to be escorted for some time. The Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development pointed out that this does not mean that each car will have its own convoy. Convoys of several cars are planned, which will be led together to a specific place.