Despite two decades of negotiations, a free trade agreement between the EU and the South American economic bloc Mercosur has once again failed to be signed. Politicians are disappointed, NGOS relieved.

And by “NGOs”, we mean “beef farmers in the EU”.

A few days later, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the free trade agreement for being “old-fashioned,” and “incoherent,” after a meeting with Brazilian President Lula on the sidelines of the COP 28 Summit in Dubai.

https://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/en/commentaries/eu-mercosur-tapping-the-atlantics-potential/

On the EU’s side, discussions on the Mercosur FTA revolve mainly around agricultural products. Member states do not want to undermine the prerogatives of their farmers by offering quotas and huge tariff reductions to the agricultural products that come from the Mercosur countries. France, Ireland and Poland are most vocal in this regard, being amongst the member states with the biggest proportion of farmers. Ireland, for instance, has a very important livestock industry. Other strong opponents are the beef-industry lobbies.

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/uploads/documents/The EU's Beef with Mercosur by Detlef Nolte 11.1.pdf

At the government level, the main resistance comes from France, Ireland, and Austria. France and Ireland are major producers of beef in the EU. France is number one in Europe, and its beef is mostly produced for domestic consumption. In Ireland, beef is produced mainly for export. There is a strong agricultural lobby in all three countries. In addition, in Austria and Ireland green parties are part of the government. And France has traditionally preferred a more protectionist EU trade policy. Even before the final text of the agreement was worked out, the Austrian, Dutch, Irish, and Wallonian parliaments, as well as the European Parliament, voted against it.