British farmers have been dealt another blow after the EU signed an "unacceptable" free trade deal with South American economic bloc Mercosur.
The deal with Mercosur, which includes farming powerhouses Brazil and Argentina, took a staggering 25 years to sign - and had already sparked protests in Europe earlier this year over fears that cheap produce from the Southern Hemisphere would flood the EU.
It's expected to be met with severe backlash from the continent - and could also take its toll on Northern Ireland and the wider UK, farmers have warned.
France has already branded the deal "unacceptable", while European farming lobby Copa-Coge has called for protests on the streets of Brussels in reaction.
And farmers had warned that South American beef, which may not meet the EU's food safety standards, could hit their own industry hard.
Ireland, Italy and Poland had also come out against the deal in the past - but EU heavy-hitters Germany and Spain said the agreement was vital for the bloc - and now, it's been signed.
In reaction to the deal, National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw warned GB News: "Given the close trade ties the UK has with the EU, the EU-Mercosur agreement could have an impact on the UK market.
"Increased EU imports from Mercosur due to more favourable market access terms might displace some EU production because of the price differential.
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"Those EU products could end up on the UK market, putting pressure on our domestic prices.
"Therefore, we continue to campaign for the Government to monitor the cumulative impact of already concluded free trade agreements and the possible impact of increased market access into the EU from agriculture powerhouses like the Mercosur countries."
It's not just trade pressure which has sparked fury in Europe and Britain's farming communities - Labour's controversial inheritance tax raid on family farms is set to lead to even more protests on the streets of London.
As exclusively revealed by GB News, farmers are planning to "ramp up the pressure" on the Prime Minister with another larger and more targeted protest on December 11 - warning "nothing is off limits".
Liz Webster, founder of the Save British Farming campaign group, is one of the leading members of the December 11 rally.
She told The People's Channel: "Farmers are uniting en masse across all four nations. And we are going to show our teeth."
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from GB News https://ift.tt/17B5OYA
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