With EU and Mercosur negotiators due to meet on 4-6 September in Brasilia for in-person talks, European agri co-ops are once again voicing their “strong opposition” to an EU-Mercosur trade deal.
The EU and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) reached a political agreement in 2019 but failed to sign a final deal at their December 2023 Mercosur summit. Widespread farmer protests ahead of the EU elections have further delayed negotiations.
Copa and Cogeca, the European voice of farmers and their co-ops, oppose the deal – arguing that it would have adverse effects it would have on its producers and the environment.
“This agreement in principle takes no account of the changes and initiatives that have stemmed from the EU Green Deal or of the changing landscape in which farming operates nowadays, following the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the war in Ukraine,” the two apexes said in a statement.
The deal is backed by the majority of EU member states but opposed by some states, including France, Austria and the Netherlands.
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Copa and Cogeca say the deal would hurt some of the most sensitive sectors of EU agriculture. It adds that the Mercosur agreement “remains unbalanced in its agricultural chapter, especially affecting the already fragile agricultural sectors such as beef, poultry, rice, sugar, and ethanol”.
The two apexes are concerned about the ability of Mercosur countries to adopt the same on-farm production standards that the EU strives for and imposes on its farmers.
“Our organisations cannot accept, under any circumstances, that European standards be weakened or that any European producer is penalised in the market for following these standards,” they added. “Hence, we cannot but reiterate our resounding ‘No’ to such a deal.”
Copa and Cogeca concluded by reiterating their concerns over “the cumulative and difficult-to-quantify impacts of all the agreements already signed by the EU” particularly if the EU were to expand further to the East.
