It will kill our farms. Farmers on the EU-Mercosur Treaty (VIDEO)

Dairy farmers could face very difficult days if the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay finally enters into force.

There is increasing talk about the possible consequences of this agreement for Lithuanian agriculture, but some decisions are still being taken quietly. Although it is officially announced that around 90,000 tonnes of beef will enter the EU market – this would represent only around 1.5% of the EU's total consumption – farmers warn that the real problem lies in quality, not quantity.

Brazil has already publicly declared that the EU's Mercosur agreement will open up the possibility of exporting premium beef, rather than cheap meat, including cuts, hams and other high-value parts of the carcass. It is this segment that has the biggest impact on the farm gate price of cattle and determines farm profitability. According to farmers in France and Ireland, such imports could take up to 25% of the beef market.

The Agriculture Ministry, headed by Andrius Palionis, has not opposed the Mercosur agreement, but has so far managed to block it in the European Parliament by a narrow margin. The agreement has been referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union for assessment, but farmers fear that this may be a temporary stopgap before a final decision that would fundamentally change the structure of beef imports in the EU.

What do Lithuanian farmers think about this?

Why haven't there been any protests on this issue in our country?

Is the farmers' voice really heard in Brussels?

„Agrobitė play“ channel visited Kaišiadorys district, where farmers Jolanta and Martynas Grey together with their colleagues talked openly about what the EU–Mercosur agreement could mean for beef cattle farming, the future of the farms and the survival of the countryside.

Watch the video and hear from the farmers themselves.

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