MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK farmers come out strongly against Mercosur “cheap meat imports”

Britain’s NFU Livestock Board Chairman Alistair Mackintosh

Farmers in the UK have warned the EU against a trade deal with Mercosur which could see Brazil and Argentina given access to the European meat market, potentially flooding the market with cheap imports and undermining domestic producers.

It comes ahead of talks later this month between the EU and the Mercosur trading black, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

A report by European farmers organization COPA, warns a trade deal could see European beef producers lose out to the tune of €25 billion if more beef is imported from Mercosur as part of the deal.

Scottish Lib Dem MEP George Lyon urged Commissioners to protect the UK’s industry when it meets for the talks next week. “The Mercosur deal has the potential to fatally undermine that objective by giving unfettered access to cheap imports of beef”.

“The Agriculture Commissioner is responsible for drawing up the EU concessions on imports that will be offered to the Mercosur countries in the next few weeks.

“The Commissioner must take account of the needs of specialist grass fed beef production which is a vital industry for hill and upland areas in Scotland. Such areas cannot compete against a flood of cheap imports from Brazil. The Commissioner must recognize this difficulty.”

As well as fears of a rise in cheap imports from Mercosur, the industry has raised concerns about traceability and food safety, with the Brazilian industry in particular coming under the spotlight in recent years for failing to meet EU standards.

NFU Livestock Board Chairman and vice-president of the COPA Beef Group, Alistair Mackintosh said: “The real concern is that we will export our industry abroad to countries that do not meet our high standards of production in terms of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.

“The Commission’s own Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) inspection visits to Brazil have highlighted deficiencies in key areas such as traceability, disease control and the continuing use of growth promoters and antibiotics.

“UK farmers are producing to, and in many cases exceeding, high EU standards and any imports must also comply with the same standards. In addition, the EU is pushing the boundaries on poultry welfare and greenhouse gas emissions, yet these standards will not be met throughout the Mercosur bloc”.

“The EU has a duty to insist that any additional market access it grants is done on the basis of meeting the same standards of welfare, environment and traceability that we currently meet. Until the Mercosur bloc meets our same standards, no concessions should be made” he emphasized.