Poland’s chairman of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, recently announced a ban on Ukrainian grains and other agricultural imports in what Polish authorities are calling a “difficult” decision.

The ban seeks to “protect the interests of the Polish agricultural sector”, as officials fear that Ukraine's large volumes and cheaper prices could potentially impact the domestic market

This is based on "asymmetry between Polish and Ukrainian agriculture", due to differences in land quality and the much lower price of Ukrainian labor.

The PiS is warning that if imports are not restricted it would lead to a deep crisis in the Polish agricultural industry.

Kaczynski added that the Ukrainian government has been informed of the decision and they hope to reach a bilateral agreement to resolve the issue.

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Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Robert Telus pointed out that the European Union should urgently take measures to distribute Ukrainian products that are flooding the Polish market.

"The EU uses nice words, but the goods stay in our country, in the front countries," he said, adding that the cost of aid to Ukraine "should be borne by the whole of Europe and not only by Polish farmers."

Hungary and Slovakia have also recently announced a temporary restriction on Ukrainian products.

The ban will be in place until late June.