A ‘flash action’ protest is underway in Brussels today (Monday, December 9) in opposition to a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries in South America.
Last week, European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and her counterparts from four Mercosur countries finalised negotiations for the trade deal.
The controversial trade agreement would allow an additional 99,000t of beef enter the EU tariff-free from countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.
The political agreement will open up the EU market to goods from Mercosur, but limits imports from Mercosur of “sensitive agricultural products” such as beef, ethanol, pork, honey, sugar and poultry.
This morning, several European farmer representative groups including Copa Cogeca, FWA, UAW and Boeren Bond are staging a protest at Place Jean Rey in Brussels.
Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president, Francie Gorman is also attending the protest in Brussels.
Copa Cogeca has stated: “For years, farming communities have expressed firm opposition to this outdated and problematic agreement.
“While we recognise the EU’s need to deepen trade relations in the current geopolitical context, this must not come at any cost. The EU agricultural sector remains particularly vulnerable to the concessions made in the unbalanced agricultural chapter of this agreement.
“Sensitive sectors such as beef, poultry, sugar, ethanol, and rice face heightened risks of market saturation and income loss due to the influx of low-cost products from Mercosur countries.
“This agreement will exacerbate the economic strain on many farms already grappling with high input prices and challenging climatic conditions,” the statement continued.
Copa Cogeca has said that EU farmers and agri-cooperatives are not opposed to trade but advocate for agreements that are fair, balanced, and environmentally sustainable.
The farm organisations have said that the current EU-Mercosur agreement fails to meet these criteria, using the agricultural sector as a “bargaining chip” to benefit other industries.
The statement continued: “The evidence is overwhelming; Mercosur countries do not meet the production standards required of EU agriculture, whether in terms of plant protection products, animal welfare, or sustainability practices.
“Mercosur nations also operate under lower labour and safety standards, enabling them to produce at lower costs, which makes fair competition impossible for EU producers. Where is the coherence in the European Commission’s actions?
“In its previous mandate, the [European] commission multiplied constraints and regulations for our producers, yet now, at the start of its second mandate, it has prioritised this inequitable agreement.”
The action has already gotten underway in Brussels and is expected to last until lunchtime today.