The European Commission’s approval of the long-delayed trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc has sparked an angry backlash from politicians and farming groups across the continent, who warn it will devastate European agriculture.
In France, right-wing leader Marine Le Pen called the agreement “devastating for French farming” and urged President Emmanuel Macron to block its implementation. Her ally Jordan Bardella described the deal as a “catastrophe” and said France should even consider suspending its European Union budget contributions if Brussels presses ahead.
Polish opposition figures echoed the criticism. The spokesman of the previous conservative government Piotr Müller said the accord would flood the EU market with cheaper beef and poultry produced under lower standards, threatening “the livelihood of thousands of family farms.” MEP Maciej Wąsik branded the deal a “betrayal of Polish villages,” arguing that profits would flow to German and French carmakers while Polish farmers bore the costs.
Poland’s main farming union also condemned the pact, warning it would push EU farmers out of the market and leave them dependent on subsidies. “I would prefer protection for our production rather than compensation,” said Wiktor Szmulewicz, head of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers.
Irish farmers voiced similar concerns. The Irish Farmers’ Association said it was “hypocritical” for the EU to impose strict green rules at home while importing produce made to lower standards abroad. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association went further, calling the deal a “calculated betrayal.”
The European Commission, which gave its final stamp of approval to the accord on Wednesday, September 3rd, insists that “robust safeguards” will shield European farmers and estimates the pact could boost annual EU exports to Mercosur by up to €49 billion.
