EU-Mercosur trade deal: A tale of two cattle breeders

Published 2023년 7월 13일

Tridge summary

The Belgian cattle market is concerned about the potential negative effects of the EU-Mercosur trade deal, which would create a free trade area between the EU and Mercosur states such as Brazil. Cattle farmers in Brazil, on the other hand, see the deal as an opportunity to export their meat to the European market. However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of Brazilian cattle farming, particularly in regards to deforestation in the Amazon region.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In the Belgian city of Ciney — a good hour's drive away from Brussels — thousands of cows and bulls change ownership every Friday. Some of them have finished their career as dairy cows; others are young bulls or used to be breeding animals. They all are here to be sold to a fattener and afterwards to the butcher. The people at the market live from selling and reselling these cattle. Over the last three decades, the cattle population in Belgium has sunk from 3 million to 2 million animals. Many at the market fear the population will sink even further, and feel their livelihoods might be threatened if more meat is imported from Latin America. "This would have a very negative effect on the price our producers receive, and this would discourage farmers from taking over farms," said Benoit Cassart, secretary-general of the Belgian Cattle Trade Federation. Cassart isn't just worried about the future; becoming dependent on the rest of the world for food is also a concern. The reason for ...

Source: Dw