Polish farmers' protests to shut German border crossing for days

Ongoing farmers' protests in Poland look set to block motor traffic in eastern Germany near the border city of Frankfurt an der Oder as of Sunday, a police spokesman said.

Polish farmers plan to block the motorway from the Swiecko junction to the German border, according to the motorway operator.

Their protest is due to end on Wednesday at 10 pm (2100 GMT).

Motorists are to be diverted to other routes as of 1 pm, the police spokesman said on Friday. However many of these side routes are not authorized for lorry traffic.

The protests by Polish farmers, which have been going on for weeks, are directed against the EU agricultural policy, but also against the import of cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine.