French farmers are protesting the EU-Mercosur agreement that will increase imports of South American goods

PARIS (AP) – French farmers protested Tuesday against a trade deal that would increase agricultural imports from South America, saying it was harming their livelihoods.

The European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc, made up of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, reached an initial agreement in 2019, but the negotiations exploded due to the opposition of farmers, as well as some European governments, which led to heated rallies where they expressed themselves in particular. we are concerned about the use of pesticides in South American produce.

Tuesday’s protest in Aurillac, southern France, was the beginning of a new wave that is expected to spread in the European agricultural community amid concerns that an agreement could be concluded at the G20 summit in Brazil on November 18-19, although the French agriculture minister, Annie Genevard, said that “it was very unlikely. “

A group of more than 600 French lawmakers also published an open letter in Le Monde, telling EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the conditions for accepting the deal with the Mercosur bloc “have not been met.”

Last week, French protesters blocked a government building in the western region of Niort, and on Monday, the European farmers’ group Copa-Cogeca sent a letter to von der Leyen, urging him to reject the Mercosur agreement and adopt “a balanced trade policy.” “

Meanwhile, France’s three largest farmers’ unions have vowed to take action: FNSEA, France’s largest, has called for nationwide protests when the winter planting season ends in mid-November. The Coordination Rurale has promised an “agrarian revolt” to begin on November 19 in Auch and Agen, two cities in South-West France, while the Confédération Paysanne, the third largest union, known for its anti-globalisation stance, also plans to boycott “trade agreements free.”

Belgian farmers have also called for demonstrations near the EU headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.

The concern of European farmers comes from what they say are the strictest EU environmental laws they follow while the Mercosur agreement may flood the market with imports from South America produced under low environmental and labor standards, according to Véronique Le Floc’h. president of the Coordination Rurale, the second largest farmers’ union in France.

“The anger has not ended. It’s still there, and, in fact, our concerns have grown,” said Le Floc’h, whose organization is linked to the French far-right National Rally. “If the Mercosur agreement is signed, it will mean the end of agriculture,” he said.

Genevard, who is the minister of agriculture, reiterated that the government opposes the agreement on Tuesday. In an interview with TF1 he said: “We do not want this agreement because it is dangerous. It will bring products, including substances banned in Europe, at the cost of deforestation. It will compete unfairly with our domestic production.”

But Le Floc’h was not convinced.

“If the minister says that the agreement will not be signed, he is not paying attention or he thinks it is us,” he said. “Why should we believe him when so many countries agree?”

In March, French President Emmanuel Macron called the deal “bad” and “outdated.” Negotiations began on June 28, 1999, but have taken a long, tortuous path since then.

Macron opposes any agreement as long as South American producers fail to adhere to the same environmental and health standards as Europeans.