Farmers protested in Brussels against the EU-Mercosur agreement

Farmers from Belgium and neighboring countries protested in Brussels on Thursday evening against the planned trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, which the European Commission had presented just one day earlier.

The protesters, including the Boerenforum group, accused the agreement of jeopardizing food safety and allowing the import of products that do not meet strict European standards.

According to the European Commission, this agreement should help increase exports by European farmers and food producers by 40 percent and save more than 440,000 jobs, but farmers fear competition.

The agreement is described as potentially the world's largest free trade zone, but it faces strong opposition from farmers, who believe it undermines the sustainable development of European food production.

(brusselstimes, sie)