Farmers launch protests against EU-Mercosur trade pact

European farmers are launching a new wave of protests against the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement.

About 100 farmers demonstrated outside the EU headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, following a similar protest on Tuesday in Aurillac, in southern France. More farmer protests are expected across Europe in the coming days.

The EU and the Mercosur, also known as the Southern Common Market, reached a free trade agreement in principle in 2019, but final texts have not been finalized, signed, or ratified. Mercosur countries include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay and several other South American countries. The deal is likely to be reached at the G20 summit in Brazil next week.