Europe trades cars for beef

Published Nov 27, 2024

Tridge summary

Europe is currently negotiating an agreement with Mercosur, led by Spain and Germany, which could have significant implications for Europe's beef industry. The agreement would allow for the import of 99,000 tons of beef, primarily sirloin cuts, from Mercosur countries, potentially leading to lower prices due to the lower cost of production in these countries. This has raised concerns among European beef producers, who argue that the agreement could lead to unfair competition and the further decline of the European beef industry, which has already seen a decrease of 1.26 million cows since 2020 due to environmental policies and low profitability. The French government, along with cattle breeders, has expressed strong opposition to the agreement, citing concerns about animal welfare, the use of growth-promoting antibiotics and hormones, and the potential impact on Europe's food sovereignty.

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

Original content

While Europe is once again accelerating negotiations for an agreement with Mercosur, led by the Spanish and German governments, the French government is raising the alarm along with its cattle breeders and is demanding that it be rejected due to the high impact it could have on its beef production. “Cars for cattle”. This is, in fact, the slogan of the agreement in Germany, where the German interest in opening this window of opportunity is leading its government to agree to any type of concession and sacrifice other sectors such as European beef. To put the figures into context, the proposal for beef would be the entry of 99,000 t of beef in the form of noble cuts from Mercosur, specifically sirloins (which would practically double the volume of this type of cut) free of tariffs in the European market. The terrible thing is that these pieces, according to data from the Institut de l’elevage, already reach the European market at a cost between 18 and 32% lower than that produced in ...

Source: Agrodigital