Libramont, the bastion of agriculture and livestock of Europe who fears agreement with Mercosur

Farmers display their most valuable livestock at the traditional agricultural fair, but in 2019 It is marked by the fear of the impact of the EU-Mercosur agreement, found the agency AFP.

According to the French news agency, despite the festive atmosphere, the fear of the recent agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, after 20 years of negotiations, is reflected in this four-day event .

"We are already at the limit of overproduction in Europe and Wallonia in particular (…) We do not need any Brazilian meat, especially when we see how it is produced"said Hugues Falys, a 49-year-old farmer and spokesman for the second Walloon agricultural union, FUGEA.

Falys met with AFP on the first day of the show, before receiving in a crowded forum from his union the acting Walloon Minister of Agriculture, Rene Collin, who sparked applause in ensuring that for him, "Mercosur is not" Yes, maybe "or" Yes, yes … ", Mercosur is" No "!"

The Belgian region of Wallonia (3.6 million inhabitants) is responsible for international agreements and, as of 2016, has blocked the necessary approval of Belgium for the signing of the free trade agreement. exchange between the EU and Canada, CETA.

"We have managed to change the CETA, to include very important safeguard clauses (…) We will be even more attentive about the Mercosur"Collin explained to AFP, hoping that the Walloon Parliament, the Belgian deputies and even the EuroCam would reject this "bad deal".

The European Commission's arguments concerning a limited import of beef – an additional 99,000 tonnes a year – and the creation of a package of 1,000 million euros ($ 1,115 million) to help farmers to not appease their fears in an affected area.

In Wallonia, the number of farms increased slightly in 2018 to reach 12,739, according to data from the Belgian Statistical Office, Statbel, but the region follows the national trend towards the reduction of holdings, which are rather bigger and bigger. .

Beatrice Ghyselen, a 61-year-old farmer, witnessed the evolution of the sector and notes that "Many older farmers are struggling to find buyers".

"My children, my sons-in-law are very interested in farmland, but they are very skeptical and pessimistic about cattle speculation," he said.

Although the price of meat is increasing among butchers, "does not increase proportionally" for farmers, whose production costs "have come a long way", said Mr Ghyselen, for whom a solution would be better. labeling concerning origin and race. of meat