EU-Mercosur trade deal likely to fail both consumers and farmers on sustainability goals
BEUC | 13 November 2024
EU-Mercosur trade deal likely to fail both consumers and farmers on sustainability goals
As talks on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement may be nearing the finish line and farmers are taking the Brussels streets today, BEUC warns the deal is likely to fail to safeguard consumer interests and align with the EU’s sustainability goals. The deal, still expected to be concluded by the end of this year, seeks to enhance trade between the two regions.
The agreement is at odds with the recommendations made by the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture. Participants from across the food supply chain, including BEUC, called for stronger coherence between EU trade policy and sustainability requirements. They stressed the importance of aligning food imports with the EU’s environmental, food safety, and animal welfare standards.
Worse, the deal could come just as the EU suspended imports from Brazilian beef over concerns it contains hormones the EU banned decades ago in livestock production.
Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, commented:
“Consumers expect that their food groceries meet the same high standards as those produced in the EU, such as on animal welfare, regardless of their origin. Sadly, this agreement will boost trade in products, such as meat, that do not meet EU standards on top of hampering efforts to cut the EU’s climate footprint and shift to healthier diets.
“Trade agreements should focus primarily on trading sustainable products that support the green transition, rather than those that hinder it. Today, trade policy clashes with our sustainable consumption goals so it is time for the EU to stop contradicting itself and get its act together.”
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