French farmers block ports over controversial EU trade deal

The agricultural workers fear that cheaper Latin American beef could drive them out of business

© RT

Farmers across France have continued to block key motorways and ports in protest against a trade deal between the EU and Latin American economic bloc, Mercosur.

The agricultural workers are citing unfair competition from Latin American meat producers, who don’t have to follow the EU’s strict environmental rules.

Early on Monday, some 30 tractors and 60 protesters set up a barricade of straw bales outside oil facilities at the industrial port of La Pallice near La Rochelle, according to local media reports.

Around 30 tractors blocked access to a grain site in the port of Bayonne in violation of the ban on gatherings introduced by the local authorities.

150 protestors used farm machinery to slow down activity at the port of Le Havre, a key site for food imports. They called themselves ‘douanes agricoles’ (farmer customs officers), opening up lorries to inspect if the goods inside complied with EU standards, but stopping short of a full blockade.

In the north of the country, dozens of agricultural workers maintained a roadblock on France’s busiest motorway, the A1 highway between Paris and Lille.

The organizers plan to continue the protests at least until Wednesday.

Demonstrations over the French government’s rules on culls of herds with cases of Lumpy Skin Disease began in December, but they soon expanded to include trade unions angry about the treaty with Mercosur. Agricultural workers in Italy, Poland, and Ireland have also protested against the deal.

Mercosur unites Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, with Venezuela’s full membership suspended since 2016. The agreement between the EU and the Latin American bloc is expected to create one of the world’s largest free trade areas, covering more than 700 million consumers.

On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the treaty with Mercosur will be signed in Paraguay on January 17. The move was approved by individual EU member-states earlier last week.

The European Commission has been accused of pushing the deal through in just 4 weeks after its rejection on December 18, using a “procedural trick.” By splitting the agreement into two parts and voting on a trade-only portion by qualified majority, they bypassed the need for national parliaments approval. This allowed the deal to pass despite formal opposition from countries like France, Ireland, and Austria.

On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the treaty with Mercosur will be signed in Paraguay on January 17. The move was approved by individual EU member-states earlier last week.

The European Commission has been accused of pushing the deal through in just 4 weeks after its rejection on December 18, using a “procedural trick.” By splitting the agreement into two parts and voting on a trade-only portion by qualified majority, they bypassed the need for national parliaments approval. This allowed the deal to pass despite formal opposition from countries like France, Ireland, and Austria.