Farmers continue calls to oppose Mercosur trade deal
Agricultural organisations in Belgium have again called for the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur to be rejected in its current form. Farmers fear they will face unfair competition from the South American trading bloc.
Farmers union Boerenbond presented CD&V MEP Liesbeth Sommen with “the last plate of delicious Belgian food” on Wednesday in Sint-Katelijne-Waver. The organisation is asking MEPs “to take responsibility and convince others to reject the agreement and send it back to the drawing board”, says president Lode Ceyssens. “We are in danger of being inundated with inferior, cheaper and even dangerous products.”
The Walloon Federation of Young Farmers and the United Federation of Livestock and Agricultural Groups are also opposed to the agreement. Their members are expected to block strategic routes on the motorway network on Thursday evening and Friday ahead of a vote by member states on the signing of the agreement.
The Confederation of Belgian Beet Growers calls the deal a threat to European agriculture. For the sugar, beef and poultry sectors in particular, the agreement in its current form is “unfair and harmful”, it says. The association is putting pressure on MEPs and wants to focus on what it calls the “negative impact” on agriculture and food security.
The free trade deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay has taken decades of negotiation. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen wanted to officially sign the agreement in Brazil at the end of December but did not have the necessary support from member states.
"We are in danger of being inundated with inferior, cheaper and even dangerous products"
France and Italy were among those voting against the deal at a Brussels summit in December, while internal divisions on the issue meant Belgium abstained. The Walloon government opposes the agreement, and there is no consensus among the coalition partners at the federal and Flemish levels.
Member states are due to vote on Friday. According to Bloomberg, Italy may now be close to changing its position and backing the agreement following further negotiations.
On Tuesday, Von der Leyen proposed bringing forward the release of 45 billion euros to support farmers from 2028.
A protest against the Mercosur trade deal in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, 18 December 2025 © PHOTO NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
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