European farmers’ anger over the EU–Mercosur trade agreement has spilled from the fields into politics, with protests, parliamentary resistance and legal threats mounting across the bloc. “We will not let the deal go any further,” Poland’s agriculture minister, Stefan Krajewski, said recently, echoing opposition voiced in France, Austria, Ireland and Hungary. Tractors have blocked streets in Paris, while critics argue the agreement could undermine European farming standards. But speaking to TVP World, Jean-Victor Maublanc, a lecturer in public law at the University of Poitiers, said the controversy goes far beyond trade volumes. “We can’t just see the situation through the Mercosur agreement from a very narrow angle,” Maublanc said. “The real problem is structural and much older. We tend to dissociate the economic aspects and the environmental aspects—and that’s a major mistake.” Farmers often fear that cheaper imports from South America, particularly beef, will flood the market. Maublanc argues that environmental risks are being sidelined. “From a chemical point of view, I don’t think the safeguards are sufficient,” he said. “We don’t have enough certainty that we won’t become dependent on these markets.” The European Commission has pointed to safeguard clauses and import quotas, estimating that agricultural imports from Mercosur countries would remain below 2% of the EU market. But Maublanc warned that even small volumes could have outsized effects. “Even if it’s just 1.5%, it will change prices—and we can’t foresee that impact today,” he said. He also criticized concessions on fertilizers and climate policy. “We are lowering tariffs and suspending carbon adjustment mechanisms,” Maublanc said. “Once again, we focus on economics and forget the environment.” Legal challenges to the deal face long odds, according to Maublanc. “From my point of view, there is no real chance the agreement will not come into force,” he said, citing strong political backing from Germany and Italy. “Legally, it’s very difficult. Politically, the balance of power is clear.” As debates intensify, Maublanc offered a blunt conclusion: “We talk a lot about food security—but not enough about legal security.”
