Farmers throughout France organized large-scale protests on Monday against the proposed trade accord between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American nations.

The farmers argue that the deal threatens their livelihoods by allowing a surge of cheap South American agricultural imports produced under less stringent environmental standards.

French farmers against 'unbalanced treaty'

As farmers face cheaper imports, burdensome regulations and meager incomes, a Mercosur deal would represent a bitter "cherry on the cake," Arnaud Rousseau, head of France's main farmers' union, the FNSEA, told BFM TV.

"We are against the conclusion of an unbalanced treaty likely to destroy part of the French agricultural sector," he told French financial newspaper La Tribune Dimanche. 

According to Rousseau, farmers will conduct rallies on Monday and Tuesday, mainly in front of government buildings, with protests expected to last until mid-December.

Coordination Rurale, a union linked to the far right, has promised an "agricultural revolt," including food freight blockades beginning Tuesday in southwestern France.

French President Emmanuel Macron — who is currently on a tour of Latin America — has reiterated his long-standing opposition to the treaty.

After a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, Macron said France would not approve the agreement in its current form.

What is the EU-Mercosur deal?

The deal would be between the European Union and a South American economic alliance called Mercosur. It includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia and looks to establish the largest free trade zone in the world — one that would encompass 700 million people.

While the aim of the deal is to lower tariffs and boost trade, French farmers have long expressed concerns that a Mercosur accord will bring more beef, chicken, sugar and maize from Brazil and Argentina to Europe, lowering their incomes.

Moreover, they say European restrictions on pesticides, hormones and land use do not apply to Mercosur countries.

While the EU has tried to push through an anti-deforestation law that would block the sale of products such as beef and coffee grown on former forest land, it has agreed to postpone the implementation of this rule for a year to give the South American partners time to adapt.

Frustration builds among French farmers

French farmers have long expressed their dissatisfaction with declining incomes, stringent EU regulations and what they believe are excessive government demands.

Last winter, European farmers voiced similar frustrations after a surge in imports from Ukraine due to Russia's invasion.

However, resentment has worsened in France, where farmers have recently faced rain-hit harvests, livestock disease outbreaks and delayed measures promised to defuse previous protests.

The last time French farmers protested — in early 2024 —they blocked highways with tractors for weeks and dumped manure on the roads.

mk/lo (AP, dpa, Reuters)