[iagooar]

Fair trade yes. Unfair trade no. And Mercosur is COMPLETELY unfair to European farmers. It imposes higher standards - and thus costs - on European farmers, while allowing South American farmers to produce with lower quality and adding forbidden substances to grow crops faster - and cheaper.

[pseudony]

From Reuters: “ The extra imports represent 1.6% of EU beef consumption and 1.4% for poultry”.

Maybe take a deep breath and relax a bit before storming the ramparts. This is a slight adjustment not something undercutting all EU farming.

[iagooar]

Today.

[pousada]

This is a common meme but wrong. The imported goods are subject to the same restrictions as those produced within EU.

What hurts EU farmers the most is the big supermarket cartel that controls prices and pushes farmers to produce more and more cheaply (and consumers that react extremely sensitive to every price increase, but that’s a more inconvenient truth)

[oytis]

That's like an anti-cartel, a cartel that keeps the consumer prices low.

With 12 euro/kg currently I wouldn't call beef in Germany extremely cheap on the world scale. Poultry has pretty much crossed the 10 euro mark too.

[pousada]

Definition of a cartel is a combination of independent commercial or industrial enterprises designed to limit competition or fix prices - it can be a cartel that basically oppresses farmers and have low consumer prices as result

[0dayz]

And how does Asian countries curtail this?

Since we got trade deals when it comes to food with them, and they 100% do not have the same standard as European farmers.

And the EU won't check these inferior products for any problems?

[surgical_fire]

> South American farmers to produce with lower quality and adding forbidden substances to grow crops faster - and cheaper.

This is a lot of fearmongering in a small sentences.

Nothing in the agreement says that that the EU has ro accept food produced with substandard practices.

Also, food produce in South America is not exactly low standards.

[iagooar]

On average, South American farmers use 2-3 times more pesticides than farmers in Europe. 2-3 times more would be illegal in Europe, but is allowed as part of Mercosur trade.

Pesticides banned in Europe, but allowed in South America: Atrazine, Acephate, Mancozeb, Paraquat, and many more.

Diseases they can produce include: Parkinson's, brain damage in children and lower IQ, infertility, genetic mutations.

[surgical_fire]

This is the fearmongering I am talking about.

Nothing in the deal says that EU has to accept anything that does not adhere to EU standards. Any food imports have to follow EU regulations. It only allows (a fairly dismal quota) to go through without tariffs.

So all the bullshit you just said (which I am not even sure I trust) is irrelevant.