European farmers protest against South America and FTA by tractor

With the prospect that the European Union (EU) will sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Mercosur (South American Common Market) within this year, opposition from European farmers is spreading.

Reuters said more than 200 farmers dragged tractors and waved flags in front of the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on the 13th local time, protesting against a trade deal between the EU and Mercosur.

The protesting farmers said they had been opposed to the free trade agreement, arguing that it "does not provide fair prices for farmers."

France is the most opposed to an FTA with South America, and 622 members of the French Senate and House of Representatives and the European Parliament sent an open letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Le Monde the day before.

"Even though the three conditions set out by France have not been met, the EU Commission is preparing to submit the agreement to the EU Council and Parliament within weeks for approval," they criticized in the letter.

Earlier, France called for the introduction of mirror provisions to ensure that goods imported into the EU do not worsen the destruction of ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest and ensure that the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the EU's sanitation and environmental standards are equally adhered to by Mercosur countries.

French lawmakers believe that the current situation in South America is incompatible with the Paris Agreement, saying, "Since the negotiations with the EU on Mercosur began in 1999, deforestation of the Amazon the size of the Iberian Peninsula has occurred."

They noted that France's pesticide spray is 3.6 kg per ha, while Brazil's is 6 kg, and about 150 of the 500,000 pesticides used in Brazil and Argentina are banned in Europe.

He also criticized livestock growth boosters such as antibiotics banned in Europe, which are still widely used in South America.

Members said, "This environment, health. "We can never accept this agreement for this reason," he said, stressing that the gap in animal welfare standards puts European consumer health at serious risk and our agricultural producers subject to EU strict regulations must compete unfairly.

Mercosur is a South American economic community comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, where the EU and Mercosur reached a principled agreement in 2019 after 20 years of FTA negotiations, but stalled after the EU demanded the addition of new conditions, including environmental protection obligations.

However, as the two sides recently resumed discussions, observers say they are likely to sign a final deal at the end of the year.

Earlier, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Dásouva expressed expectations that he would be able to sign an agreement if only Europe was ready at the G20 summit in Brazil on the 18th.

Europe expects an FTA deal with Mercosur, which has a consumer market of about 260 million people, to boost exports of goods and services by EU companies.

In addition, it is seen as an important opportunity to strengthen the strategic alliance between the EU and South America and exert greater influence in global trade at a time when the economic influence of the United States and China is growing.