MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

MEP warns on dangers to Scotland of ‘cheap meat’ imports from Mercosur

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon

European Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos has been warned of the dangers facing Scotland if the EU opens its markets to large quantities of ‘cheap meat’ imports from Mercosur, reports the Farmers’ Guardían.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon met the Commissioner at a European Parliament agriculture meeting on Monday, the same day the current round of trade negotiations between Mercosur and EC delegates took off in Brussels.

MEP Lyon told Mr Ciolos that he must ensure he does not ‘sacrifice the future of specialist suckler beef producers, in order to reach a trade agreement with the Mercosur countries’.

Mr Lyon said: “The Commission is busy drawing up plans to open up EU markets to large quantities of cheap meat imports from Mercosur members’ Brazil and Argentina. These plans are likely to be finalized within the next few weeks.

“I alerted Commissioner Ciolos to the grave concerns held by Scottish beef producers who are worried that their future could be sacrificed, in order to secure a trade deal with these countries.

“That must not be allowed to happen. The Commission must ensure that their plans do not fatally undermine the specialist beef industry in Scotland.”

He said the Commissioner must take account of the specialist beef sector across Europe and ensure that it has a viable future.

“I warned him that if we lose suckler beef production in the hill and upland areas of Scotland, the severe consequences would be felt by farmers and also impact on the environment and jobs in fragile rural areas,” Mr Lyon said.