Tractors in Paris to protest EU's trade deal with South America

PARIS: Dozens of tractors rolled into Paris early Tuesday as French farmers protest against the trade deal the European Union 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 being undercut by an influx of cheap beef and other products from South America.

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

By 7:00 am (0600 GMT) around 150 had already entered the French capital escorted by law enforcement, according to police.

The tractors are expected to crawl along the capital’s major thoroughfares, including the Champs-Elysees.

Most of the European Union’s 27 nations back the Mercosur trade deal, which supporters argue is crucial to boost exports, help the continent’s ailing economy and foster diplomatic ties at a time of global uncertainty.

But the agreement is widely opposed by farmers and others who fear it will result in an influx of an extra 99,000 tonnes of cheap beef from agriculture giant Brazil and its neighbours, disrupting European agriculture.

The deal, more than 25 years in the making, would create one of the world’s largest free-trade areas, boosting commerce between the 27-nation EU and the Mercosur bloc comprising Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

Major Mercosur exports to the EU include agricultural products and minerals, while the EU would export machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals with lowered tariffs applied.