France has formally announced that it has decided to vote against the proposed EU Mercosur Trade Agreement at a meeting of the EU Council today (Friday, January 9).

President of France, Emmanuel Macron said while the French are supportive of favourable trade, the country believes this specific trade deal is "from another age".

In a translated post on social media, the president added that the deal, which has been in the pipeline for 25 years, has been negotiated for too long and on bases that are now "outdated".

The EU Mercosur Trade Agreement would eliminate tariffs on 91% of all products exported between the two regions.

A maximum limit (quota) will be put on the amount of agri-food products imported from Mercosur that benefit from lower tariffs:

99,000t for beef - this corresponds to 1.5% of the EU’s total production;
25,000t of pigmeat - 0.1% of total EU production;
180,000t for poultry - 1.3% of total EU production per year.

The deal includes a safeguard clause to protect EU farmers against any sudden increase in imports. In exchange, the EU will be able to export goods to the Mercosur countries at much more favourable tariffs, such as machinery and cars.

Ireland and France have been among the countries which have consistently expressed concerns about the impact of the deal on EU farmers.

Yesterday (Thursday, January 8), the Irish Government announced that it would formally vote no to the proposed deal at today's Council meeting, following increased pressure from coalition politicians and farming organisations.

France

Subsequently, France announced its formal position, which was expected to follow in the same vein as Ireland's stance.

Macron said (translated): "If trade diversification is necessary, the economic gain from the EU-Mercosur agreement will be limited for French and European growth (+0.05% on the EU's GDP by 2040 according to the commission).

"Since the announcement of the end of negotiations in December 2024, I have not stopped mobilising for a fairer agreement in order to protect our farmers. On this basis, we have obtained concrete advances, which the European Commission must be acknowledged for."

The French president explained that his country had three concerns or demands they wanted addressed in relation to the deal.

Firstly, there is now a specific safeguard clause, an 'emergency brake', on agricultural imports from Mercosur countries in the event of market destabilisations in Europe.

This safeguard can be activated in the event of a variation of 5% in the prices and volumes of imported agricultural products, at the request of a single member state or of sector representatives.

There will now also be reciprocity measures on production conditions (mirror measures).

"Our producers comply with the world's most ambitious standards in terms of health, environment, and animal welfare," Macron said.

"The commission has announced the establishment of this reciprocity for several pesticide substances that we have just banned on our national territory. This effort must be continued for all pesticides and animal feed."

The French and Ireland also raised concerns about food security and obtained a strengthening of health controls in Europe and veterinary and phytosanitary audits in third countries, in order to ensure that producers, particularly from Mercosur, comply with EU rules and measures in this context are being ironed out.

While the French president welcomed moves such as frontloading some Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds from 2028 and in relation to fertiliser, there will be no increased cost related to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), he said they still have concerns.

"Despite these undeniable advances, the fact must be stated that there is unanimous political rejection of the agreement, as clearly shown by the recent debates in the National Assembly and the Senate," Macron said.

"In this context, France will vote against the signing of the agreement. The signing stage of the agreement does not constitute the end of the story."

Mercosur protest

French farmers staged a protest in Paris yesterday against the Mercosur trade deal as well as other issues such as a lack of CAP funding and a call for more support for agriculture from the French Government.

The spectacle organised by farming union, Coordination Rurale, blocked up the centre of Paris, with convoys of tractors coming from across the region.

A protest will take place in Athlone, Co. Westmeath from 11:00a.m tomorrow (Saturday, January 9), organised by Independent Ireland but open to all parties and politicians and farming representatives and farmers themselves.

Those intending to attend are urged to pre-register on the Independent Ireland website, but up to 10,000 people are expected.