The farmer’s union thinks the Mercosur deal is serious for agriculture

Lars-Petter Bartnes, head of the Norwegian Bondelag.Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB scanpix

The farmers are worried about meat imports from Brazil and Argentina after EFTA and Mercosur signed a trade agreement on Friday.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro announced Friday night that negotiations on the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the EFTA countries have been concluded and that an agreement has been reached. On Saturday morning, Business Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (H) confirmed the information.

The Latin American trading block Mercosur consists of agricultural giants Brazil and Argentina. The countries are among the world’s largest exporters of beef and chicken, as well as pigs, wheat, fruits and vegetables. Details of the deal were not known Saturday morning.

“Regardless of the size of concessions to Mercosur, it is very serious to enter into a food import agreement from these countries. Norwegian agriculture is vulnerable to imports, not just meat. Even small quantities can have a large impact on the Norwegian market that is already under pressure,” says Lars-Petter Bartnes, head of the Norwegian Bondelag.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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