Polish poultry at risk? The industry critically on the safeguards in the EU-Mercosur agreement

The poultry industry fears market destabilization in the EU following the implementation of the EU–Mercosur agreement. Protective clauses may act with a delay – as in the case of imports from Ukraine. There is a risk of concentration of export licenses in the hands of a few large players. Poland is the third largest poultry exporter in the world, mainly to the EU market. The agreement will begin to apply partially from May 1. Concerns about the effectiveness of safeguards. According to the head of the National Poultry Council, the key problem is that the protective clauses – although formally existing – may be activated too late. As Dariusz Goszczyński emphasized, the experience with poultry imports from Ukraine shows that the European Commission's response took months, despite clear market disruptions. Risk of export concentration. The industry also fears that the export license system may favor the largest global corporations. According to Goszczyński, if access to quotas is ...