In Brussels, the Netherlands must make it “clear and ready” that agriculture may not be part of the Mercosur trade agreement between Europe and four South American countries, a parliamentary majority believes. If agriculture is nevertheless included as a component, the Netherlands must block the proposal. The Party for the Animals calls on the cabinet to do so and is already receiving sufficient support for this.
The parties that are against fear that the treaty will lead to a “significant increase in unfair competition for European farmers”. They also believe that the safety of imported meat is at stake and that it leads to additional deforestation in the Amazon.
After about twenty years of negotiations, the EU reached an agreement in principle in 2020, which now needs to be further elaborated. The House of Representatives has been opposed to the treaty for some time: in the same year a motion was passed to withdraw support for the treaty. At the time, the government was unable to comply with this, because the treaty was not yet ready. That is still the case today, says Agriculture Minister Piet Adema.
In any case, it remains to be seen whether the treaty with Mercosur will make it. There has also been opposition from other EU member states because of concerns about the environment and farmers. In 2020, then Minister for Foreign Trade Sigrid Kaag said that the treaty will be “a tough one” in many member states.
The Mercosur is formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay and is intended to promote free economic movement. Venezuela is also a member, but that country was suspended in 2016, partly because of the human rights situation in the country and failure to comply with the required democratic principles. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru and Suriname have separate cooperation agreements with Mercosur.
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