French farmers and ranchers explain why they are outraged by the EU-Mercosur deal

La Morinière farm is located in the Sarthe (western France), between fields and lavender plants. Eric Loyau raises about thirty Salers type cows.

"The cows are in the fields from April 1 to November 1. Mine have between 12 and 15 m² each, so they take advantage of the space and well-being, everything was born, was raised on the farm" , highlighted

According to him, these conditions do not exist in the countries of the Mercosur, which will be able to export 160 000 tonnes of beef. This represents almost half of European imports. The announcement of the agreement comes at a time when demand for quality meat and quality is increasing.

"I do not think that all French farmers are against the rise, but it takes more work, it takes longerand we know that consumers want organic products, but they are ultimately the cheapest, "he says.

Eric Loyau sells to individuals and school canteens of Sarthe and refuses to compete with these new products.

"This is not at all comparable, traceability will only begin when they reach French soil. They will flood the French and European markets and prices will fall. If we can not sell our meat, our products, I will have to fire my employee and, nevertheless, I have work for two, "denounces.

To survive, the farmer should sell your kilo of beef between 5 and 6 euros, a price that even today can not reach. Asked today that the French Parliament does not ratify the agreement.

– "We do not need your hens anymore, they are too expensive"

Isabelle Leballeur has been operating a poultry farm for 30 years at Le Gaec des Deux-Vallées, where she raises chickens for a major French brand that sells chopped and processed products.

In recent years, 170,000 euros have been invested to improve the reproduction conditions of chickens demanded by French consumers. She feels proud of the space, the light and even the music that she has installed for the well-being of her birds. However, feels today betrayed and furious by an agreement with Mercosur.

"In Brazil, they reintroduced 239 molecules whose use we have been banned for 10 years and which will end up in our market, and what will happen to them?" They will say "we do not need to their chickens, they are too expensive "and we will have to lower prices to reach them", he protests.

Leballeur is afraid of not being able to pbad on his farm to his children, but he is also worried about the clbadic poultry sector, which accounts for three-quarters of consumption in France. The fourth remaining concerns organic and high-end products.

– a bitter sugar

The EU-Mercosur agreement provides for the establishment of import of 180 000 tonnes of sugar, mainly from Brazil, without customs duties. French beet growers are considered threatened by these new imports and demand that the agreement is not ratified.

Timothé Mbadon is an economist at the General Confederation of Beet Growers. Unlike the beef or poultry sector, they are mainly the French who will be penalized for sugarhe says.

"The sugar that will be imported from Brazil without customs duty is not a sugar that will be found on the French market, it will be found in other European countries, in countries that are traditional customers of the country. France, "he laments.

"Brazilian sugar will go to Italy, Spain or the United Kingdom, which was buying sugar from France, these are customers that we will lose. And this is why some countries are in favor of the agreement with Mercosur, because they see an opportunity to buy sugar cheaper than French. It is the non-sugar producing countries that import and refine brown sugar: Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. And here another problem comes into play: Brexit. The closure of the British market. In other words, Brazilian sugar will go to Italy and Spain. This means that the gift to Brazilians will be even bigger in a 27-member Europe than in 28 countries, "he said.

Faced with the growing protest of the French rural world, President Emmanuel Macron announced that your country has "questions" on the "environmental", "health" and "sensitive" subsidiaries of the agreement between the The EU and the Mercosur countries.