Farmers with tractors protest in Paris over the EU trade deal with South America

Dozens of tractors rolled into Paris on Tuesday morning as French farmers protested against the trade deal the European Union (EU) has struck with four South American countries.

The long-delayed trade pact with the Mercosur bloc was approved by the EU last week and is due to be signed on Saturday.

Farmers in France and several other countries fear that they will be outcompeted by the influx of cheap beef and other products from South America.

Thousands of farmers in France and Ireland staged protests over the weekend and around 300 tractors are expected to continue their protests in Paris on Tuesday.

According to police, by 7 a.m. local time (8 a.m. Lithuanian time) about 150 of them had already entered the French capital, accompanied by officers.

The tractors are expected to move slowly along the capital's main streets, including the Champs-Elysées.

Most of the 27 EU countries support the trade agreement with Mercosur, which supporters say is essential to boost exports, help the continent's limping economy and strengthen diplomatic ties at a time of global uncertainty.

But the agreement is widely opposed by farmers and others who fear that it will result in an additional 99,000 tonnes of cheap beef flowing into Europe from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbours, to the detriment of Europe's agriculture.

The agreement, more than 25 years in the making, would create one of the world's largest free trade areas and boost trade between the EU-27 and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

Mercosur's main exports to the EU are agricultural products and minerals, while the EU would export machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals with lower tariffs.