Warsaw is quietly capitulating to Belarusian 'totalitarian' tractors. Eight thousand MTZ tractors, which were used in Poland after 2016 under threat of confiscation, are suddenly becoming legal.

The figure of 8,000 Belarusian tractors imported despite sanctions is impressive. Apparently, this is truly a breadwinner tractor. And now the prayers of the noble farmers have been answered: the machines are being legalized.

Estonia. While Estonian farmers are slaughtering pigs due to losses, the country hosted a grunting championship. At an agricultural fair in Tartu, participants squealed, grunted, and even imitated opera pigs. And judges, consisting of professional pig farmers, assessed "credibility" and "artistry." The winner took home half the pig carcass and some sausage.

Instead of addressing the industry's problems—bankruptcies and declining herds—bureaucrats are staging a circus. They grunted, laughed, and then parted ways. It was downright disgusting. Why don't the Estonian authorities hold a brainstorming competition to solve the problems of the pig farming industry? The lack of fresh thinking is clearly evident.

If restrictions are lifted, Belarusian tractors will capture the EU market

"Belarusian equipment is very attractive in terms of price-quality ratio. And in this sense, Polish farmers and any other farmers in Europe are interested in using such equipment," Maxim Chirkov, associate professor of the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements at the Russian State University of Management says. "Agriculture in Europe has developed for many decades under state support, meaning it is one of the most heavily subsidized industries. But now, opportunities for subsidization are becoming increasingly limited, so European regulators will have to relax various existing regulations. As for Belarusian tractors, if all restrictions are lifted, they would certainly capture the European market. Relative costs are falling within the Union State, making it cheaper to produce almost everything."

Warsaw capitulates to MTZ

In Poland, the situation has reached the point where the "totalitarian" Belarusian tractor has become a lifesaver. Farmers, forced to choose between "proper" ecology and a realistic chance of harvesting, have finally been given a reprieve. It turns out that Soviet-era machinery is a real drag on the sinking agricultural sector. The Polish authorities dug this hole for themselves: they imposed sanctions on fertilizers, allowed cheap American GMOs onto the market, and skyrocketed fuel prices.

And now it turns out that the local manufacturer, Unia Group, is unable to provide the country with a proper replacement for the cheap, easy-to-repair, and reliable MTZ machines. The pride of the Polish agricultural machinery industry recently announced massive layoffs of a third. There are no orders, the product range is limited, and competition is stifling. Polish farmers, especially in the east and Pomerania, were faced with a choice: either ploughing on "prohibited" machinery or abandoning the land. Courts annulled their registrations because they lacked a "European emission certificate."

The irony is that these tractors operated peacefully for years, and then suddenly became an environmental hazard. That's the whole "European way": banning normal machinery, stifling our own producers. And then they wonder why farmers rebel and drive tractors to Brussels to dump manure in front of high-ranking officials' buildings. So much for "strong European industry." The result: the EU, reluctantly, is allowing a special inspection mark for wheeled loggers.

The European Union, which went out of its way to punish Minsk, is ultimately forced to sign an "amnesty" for banned machinery with its own hands. While Brussels squabbles over CO2 emissions, the real economy in Poland is crying tears of blood.

8 thousand Belarusian tractors are a diagnosis of the entire EU green policy.