The agreement, set to be signed in Paraguay next week, paves the way for increased imports of cow and chicken meat from Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), where animals are often raised under cruel farming conditions (i.e. feedlots, overcrowded chicken farms).
While the European Commission has proposed safeguard measures as a response to concerns raised by farmers and civil society, these instruments are not sufficient to address the fundamental issue at the heart of the EU-Mercosur deal: the systematic import of animal products produced under conditions contrary to the EU’s animal welfare standards.
The agreement fails to make tariff preferences conditional on respect for animal welfare standards, despite repeated calls from EU citizens. The only explicit animal welfare condition concerns shelled eggs – a product with negligible trade volumes from Mercosur countries – leaving the door wide open to a race to the bottom on production practices.
Wild animals and their habitats will also suffer under the EU-Mercosur trade deal. By expanding trade in cow meat, leather and soy for animal feed, the deal is expected to fuel further deforestation and habitat destruction in biodiversity-rich regions such as the Cerrado, Gran Chaco and Pantanal. This puts pressure on already endangered species and is unlikely to be fixed by the weakened EU rules on deforestation.
This agreement sends a contradictory signal to EU farmers, who are being asked to comply with higher animal welfare and environmental standards, while having to compete with cheaper imports produced under lower requirements. This imbalance threatens both farm viability and public trust in EU food systems.
Eurogroup for Animals reiterates that the ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement should not move forward until the EU adopts a modernised and ambitious animal welfare legislation ensuring that all animal products placed on the EU market meet animal welfare standards equivalent to those applied in the EU.
All eyes are now on the European Parliament to oppose the ratification of the deal.
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