Cheap Brazilian pork imports threaten EU market

Pork imports from Brazil could soar, warned EU farm leaders on Monday (May 3).

The farm leaders urged EU commissioners not to re-open trade liberalisation talks with Mercosur, the Latin American trading bloc.

This would lead to a substantial contraction in EU agriculture, threatening 28 million jobs, warned Copa president Padraig Walsheand. He said pork as well as imports of beef, poultry and wheat would increase.

The talks with Mercosur have been stalled since 2004. Reopening them would lead to a flood of imports of food not produced to EU standards, said Copa.

Meanwhile, France's main farmers' organisation, FNSEA, called Wednesday (May 5) on President Nicolas Sarkozy to pressure upon the European Community to impede the re-launching of negotiations for a free trade agreement with Mercosur.

According to reports, EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos was against the plan to reopen the talks that previously collapsed in 2004. Spain, which currently holds the six-month rotating EU presidency chair, expects that in the coming Latin America, the Caribbean and the EU Summit (LAC-EU) next May in Madrid, can bolster a commitment from both sides to conclude the bilateral talks in a near future.

However, an internal note circulated by the EC notes that France, the UK, Romania, Hungary and Poland would be especially badly hit, with the poultry sector accounting for 9-12% of total agricultural output in these countries.

In some regions, the concentration of poultry production is more than 70% of agricultural output. The note also points to serious losses for beef producers in Belgium, France, the UK, Spain and Ireland.