UK politicians and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are being urged to "wake up" to the "threat" of the Mercosur trade negotiations on European food safety, animal welfare and the environment.
The European Commission is set to increase its beef quota offer to 70,000 tonnes for the potential trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American trade bloc Mercosur, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström has said that reaching a deal by Christmas is "realistic" and that there is "very strong support" for it in the EU.
But farmers from countries such as France and Ireland have said this will flood the EU market with lower-quality South American beef.
Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president Barclay Bell said there has been a recent focus on calls made by politicians to increase environmental and animal welfare regulations in the UK, post Brexit.
However, the farming union said these politicians are "nowhere to be seen nor heard" in the debate around the "serious threat" posed by the Mercosur trade negotiations.
He said: “South American countries do not come close to matching the food safety, animal welfare or environmental standards which farmers comply with in the UK and across Europe.
“It is scandalous that the European Commission is prepared to offer Mercosur increased concessions to export substandard agricultural products such as beef into the EU.”
'Completely hypocritical'
The UK and EU farming industry are seen as world leading in terms of animal welfare standards. The UFU said this is what consumers expect.
“It seems completely hypocritical for UK politicians and NGOs to want to keep raising the bar for UK farmers but yet accept much lower standards for inferior products exported from South America to the EU and which can ultimately end up in the UK,” said Mr Bell.
“Politicians and NGOs urgently need to re-focus their priorities and wake up to the threat the Mercosur trade negotiations pose. We want to see fair and balanced trade arrangements. There is no question that food exported to the UK, should be produced to the exact same standards as food produced in the UK.
“To do otherwise will only undermine UK food production, food security and exacerbate the risk of environmental degradation in regions such as South America,” Mr Bell said.
Earlier this year, Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter of red meat, was at the centre of international attention due to a widespread beef scandal that seriously damaged the country’s reputable sector.
Top meat-packers in Brazil were accused of selling rotten meat produce for years.
