Extraordinary meeting of Agricultural Ministers on EU-Mercosur and CAP funding: Stop patronising farmers

In parallel, European commissioners for agriculture, trade, and health are expected to present proposals for additional financial support for farmers under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). These may include a crisis fund of around €6.3 billion ($7.4 billion) in the next EU budget. ECVC warns that this approach aims to compensate farmers for the damage that the EU-Mercosur deal would generate, damage that should never have been created in the first place.

ECVC reiterates its long-standing position: the EU should stop signing free trade agreements, or at least exclude agricultural products from them. It should radically reform its trade policy in line with food sovereignty and respect for human rights.

Some Member States have suggested stricter national controls on products from South America. ECVC stresses that proposals adopted solely at the national level are meaningless within the reality of the single EU market, as food imports can easily be redirected to other EU ports where control levels remain lower. Moreover, as reported in a previous ECVC analysis, many reciprocity standards cannot be effectively verified because of the specificity of agricultural production. Claims of strong reciprocity in the agreement are, therefore, largely unfounded in practice.

ECVC also denounces the intention to finalise this agreement on 12 January, before the European Parliament has had the opportunity to exercise its democratic right of consent. The shift in the discourse of certain EU leaders, including Georgia Meloni, who previously criticised the Commission for undemocratic practices, illustrates the growing gap between rhetoric and reality. Fine words about supporting farmers ring hollow when policymakers continue to treat agriculture, farmers, and agricultural workers as a low-value bargaining commodity in global trade.

For these reasons, ECVC and its members will maintain a high level of mobilisation in the coming days. Europe needs policies that listen to farmers, not decisions imposed from above in the interests of corporate trade.