'We are not businessmen': France's local farmers 'not here to export or make money on int'l market'

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00:00It's 10.30pm here in Paris in time to take a closer look at one of our main stories this evening.

00:16Welcome to Apropos.

00:18European agriculture is on live support.

00:21So say farmers here in France, who have begun a fresh campaign in protest against a proposed trade pact

00:27between the European Union and four South American countries.

00:31They say the Mercosur agreement will open European markets to cheaper meat and produce

00:36from overseas competitors who are not forced to adhere to strict EU rules

00:41on pesticides, hormones, land use and environmental measures.

00:45Emerald Maxwell has more.

00:50At this roundabout in southern France, farmers spill rocks, soil and manure onto the road

00:57and plant crosses in it.

01:01A symbolic death as negotiations continue between the EU and the Mercosur bloc of South

01:07American countries over a trade agreement that farmers say would threaten their livelihoods.

01:12French farmers protested across the country on Monday, starting pre-dawn in the western

01:17department of Vendée.

01:19They fear any agreement would open European markets to cheaper produce that is not forced

01:23to adhere to strict rules on pesticides, hormones, land use and environmental measures.

01:29We have a healthy diet here in France.

01:31Now they want to import junk food from Brazil in exchange for German cars and manufacturing.

01:38For French farmers, the deal represents the bitter cherry on top of a list of grievances,

01:43including excessive bureaucracy, low incomes and poor harvests.

01:48Protesting farmers near Paris said they now want President Emmanuel Macron and the government

01:52to do more to stop the proposed deal.

01:54Macron is going to Brazil for discussions.

01:58We want to send a message, don't forget your farmers.

02:03On Sunday, the French president defended France's resistance to the deal and said the country

02:08would continue to oppose it ahead of a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

02:13But despite being the EU's biggest agricultural producer, France does not hold veto power

02:18and lacks firm allies in the Mercosur talks.

02:22Meanwhile, the German and Spanish governments have been pushing to finalise the agreement

02:25by the end of the year.

02:28If the agreement is signed, the treaty will still need to be formally ratified by the

02:32EU before coming into force.

02:35With more on the proposed deal, here's Andrew Hilliard.

02:41French farmers are virtually unanimous in opposing the Mercosur trade deal.

02:44Both the EU and Mercosur reached an initial agreement back in 2019, but it was never finalised

02:50after opposition from farmers and some European governments.

02:54The free trade deal aims to boost commerce between the European Union and the five countries

02:58that make up Mercosur, namely Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.

03:04It would gradually eliminate customs duties on trade between the two blocs.

03:09The EU exported 45 billion euros worth of goods to Mercosur in 2021.

03:14French government officials say it would allow the import of an additional 99,000 tonnes

03:19of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry.

03:22But French farmers say South American exporters would have an unfair competitive edge.

03:27Farms are bigger and producers are less bound by strict environmental and health regulations

03:32than their EU counterparts.

03:34Wages are also lower than in Europe and that could force prices down for European farmers.

03:38In the end, it's like unfair competition.

03:43Our products are very standardised, very controlled, very closely monitored and products from all

03:48around the world can arrive with completely different standards of production.

03:53The French government, racing to extinguish a growing protest movement, also opposes the

03:57deal.

03:58It's urged other EU countries to refrain from signing it.

04:01Analysts say it could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon rainforest by up to 5% per year.

04:07The deal has united politicians, farmers and environmentalists in a rare common front opposed

04:12to its ratification.

04:16To discuss, let's bring in Jean-Matthieu Thévenot.

04:19He's a farmer and also a member of the Confédération Paysanne Agricultural Trade Union.

04:25Thank you so much for being with us on the programme this evening.

04:29We heard some of the concerns that farmers have generally when it comes to the Mercosur

04:34deal.

04:35What are your specific concerns about this trade deal?

04:40Well, first I would like to remind that we are part of an international farmer's network,

04:45La Via Campesina, and we've been fighting against free trade agreements for a very long

04:50time, actually created in 1993.

04:54So it's not only about the EU-Mercosur agreement, it's about any free trade agreement, because

04:59these agreements basically always have very bad impacts on medium-scale farmers.

05:05It allows importation of products that indeed are below the production of farmers in Europe

05:10and so it has a really big impact on the revenue of these farmers.

05:14So what we've been advocating for is for structural solutions and fair prices.

05:19And what kind of structural solutions do you suggest then?

05:24So within La Via Campesina, we think that the market should be regulated because farming

05:28is not any good.

05:31So we think that according to the UNDRA, the United Declaration on the Right of Farmers

05:36and Peoples in All Areas, food products should not be sold anywhere in the world as any merchandise.

05:46And so we think that we need to regulate and basically to protect prices for small and

05:50medium-scale farmers so they can actually feed in their countries and be protected from

05:57importations that very often come at a cost because of environmental and social distinctions

06:03between countries and regions.

06:05And your union Confédération Paysan, it is opposed, as you say, to various free trade

06:11agreements.

06:12Was it part of today's protests?

06:14Are you joining this week's rallies?

06:17So yeah, obviously.

06:18And we've been fighting against the Mercosur for the past two or three years.

06:23So we joined the demonstration today, but I was also in Brussels last week where we

06:27demonstrated to the farmers from all around Europe because everywhere in Europe farmers

06:34are fighting against this disagreement.

06:38And we have close links with fellow farmers from the Mercosur, actually, from partners

06:46in South America.

06:47And we are in contact with them, and they are also fighting against this in their countries.

06:52So we really see this kind of opposition between small and medium-scale farmers and

06:57agro-industry on the other side.

06:59And we think that if we really want to reach the needs for change in the agriculture system,

07:05to meet with the climate crisis or the social crisis, this agreement is going in the exact

07:09wrong direction.

07:11And the French president, he's in Rio, as we heard earlier this week for the G20 summit.

07:16The French government, though, and the president have been defending French farmers.

07:20France is one of the countries that has showed opposition to this deal.

07:24So what exactly do you want the government to do?

07:26France doesn't have a veto over what happens when it comes down to whether or not this

07:31deal is implemented.

07:32Yes, indeed.

07:33That's an issue.

07:34That's also why we are working with other organizations and farmers from all around

07:39Europe because at the moment the European Union is in charge of the negotiations.

07:44But we also think that our president and our prime minister are not really clear because

07:49they basically say that they oppose the agreement as it is now.

07:52And we think it is unacceptable in any way.

07:56And it's not a question of renegotiating some parts of the agreement.

07:59It should be completely shut down, basically.

08:02And just finally, what do you say, though, to supporters of the deal who say that Europe

08:06at this time shouldn't be closing in on itself and that they say as well that this will enhance

08:11market access and create opportunities for businesses?

08:17So yeah, that's true.

08:19I think it will create opportunities for businesses.

08:20But the problem is we are not businessmen.

08:23And for example, my production, I sell my production to local markets to feed the people

08:27in my village and surroundings.

08:30And I'm being, like, I have direct impact on companies' products being imported from

08:35South America at a price that's lower my production costs.

08:40As small and medium-scale farmers, we are not here to export or to make money on the

08:44international market for people.

08:47And if we want to do that in a proper way, we need to be somehow protected from the market.

08:52OK, Jean-Mathieu, we'll have to leave it there for now.

08:54But thank you so much for your time on the programme.

08:57That's Jean-Mathieu Thévenot, a farmer and also member of the Confédération Paysanne

09:02Agricultural Trade Union.

09:03And apologies just for the quality of that line during parts of the interview.

09:09Do stay with us.

09:10Up next, it's Eye on Africa.

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