The European Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA) has introduced compromise amendments to the Mercosur safeguard regulation.  

The adopted package, agreed upon across numerous parties, includes a significant tightening of market monitoring obligations.

The EU-Mercosur trade deal will allow 99,000t carcass weight of beef from the Mercosur countries - mainly from Brazil - to enter the EU at a much reduced tariff rate of 7.5%.

The quantity of beef under this quota will be phased in over a five-year period.

Amendments

Under the INTA's new text, the Commission must issue monitoring reports every three months rather than every six, with the intention of providing early-warning systems for sensitive agricultural products.

These reports must also include product-specific data, enhanced border-check findings and, where relevant, member state–level impacts.

This is intended to give policymakers clearer visibility of emerging pressures in beef, poultry, and other vulnerable sectors.

A second change plans to strengthen the legal basis for early intervention.

Under the revised text, sustained price deterioration or clear evidence of harm at EU or national level may be sufficient to justify the initiation of an investigation.

The compromise text also reduces the automatic trigger thresholds from 10% to 5% for both price and volume changes and shortens timelines for investigations and provisional measures.

Sensitive product investigations would now aim to conclude within two months, with provisional safeguards introduced within 14 days of initiation.

Upcoming Mercosur vote

The final safeguard package will now proceed to plenary in Strasbourg for a vote on December 16, where MEPs will decide whether to endorse the compromise or reopen the text for further amendment.

Fianna Fáil MEP for the Midlands-North-West, Barry Cowen was among the MEPs pushing for this amendment.

He said: “I have been clear from the start that I would vote against the Mercosur Agreement if it came before Parliament tomorrow.

“But if there remains a real risk of it passing by Qualified Majority Voting, then my responsibility is to secure the strongest possible compensatory package for Irish farmers.”