“After the unspeakable Green Deal, the Mercosur agreement would be another massive attack on domestic farmers. This agreement must be prevented at all costs,” demanded the liberal European Parliamentarian Mag. Roman Haider in view of intensive negotiations between the EU and Mercosur representatives behind closed doors in order to push through the highly controversial trade agreement despite great resistance. “While our local farmers have to meet strict requirements, the market would be flooded with cheap products from South America,” explained Haider.
Recent reports also revealed the health risks to consumers from importing cheap South American products. The EU Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante) has found that the Brazilian mechanisms for complying with the ban on the use of cancer-promoting growth hormones and beta-antagonists in cattle farming are ineffective. In addition, plant protection products that have long been banned in the EU are permitted when growing corn and sugar cane in Brazil and Argentina. “This shows very clearly the much lower quality and environmental standards in the agricultural sector in these countries. Therefore, concluding the Mercosur agreement would be harmful for farmers and consumers alike,” Haider noted.
The Austrian federal government is still bound by a parliamentary decision that prohibits approval of the Mercosur agreement. “I can only hope that the Austrian representatives in the Council do not follow Green Minister Gewessler’s example and vote against the Mercosur agreement in the Council in accordance with the parliamentary decision,” concluded Haider.
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