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Flemish farmers concerned about EU-Mercosur trade agreement

by AI | 30.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement may be approved at the G20 summit on November 18 and 19 in Brazil. The Flemish agricultural organization Boerenbond is sounding the alarm.

The Flemish farmers fear the consequences of the possible approval of the trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries. - Photo: Sergey Bobok/AFP

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Brussels – The trade agreement that the European Union wants to conclude with the South American customs union Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) “poses a threat to European agriculture”. This is stated by the influential Flemish sector organization Boerenbond on Wednesday.

The agreement currently on the negotiation table is unacceptable for the agricultural organization because the agricultural production model in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, according to them, does not comply with European standards. Standards regarding traceability, food safety, biodiversity, animal welfare, crop protection… are of a different order, it sounds, and the controls and guarantees are not conclusive.

The agreement, according to the Boerenbond, opens the door to production standards that do not comply with European standards and expectations. Although a compensation fund is provided, the agricultural sector sees no benefit in it.

“We respect the societal choices that the EU makes regarding food and agriculture. It is not only up to our farmers to respect those but also to our trading partners. These production standards are not buyable,” says chairman Lode Ceyssens. The agreement with Mercosur, for example, should facilitate the import of beef from those countries into Europe. The trade agreement is expected to be concluded at the G20 summit on November 18 and 19 in Brazil.

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