EU Agrees on Farm Safeguards

In a significant development on December 17, 2025, the European Parliament and Council reached an informal agreement on agricultural safeguards under the EU-Mercosur trade and partnership agreements. This provisional pact aims to protect EU farmers by allowing the suspension of tariff preferences for certain imports deemed sensitive, such as poultry, beef, and citrus, from the Mercosur countries—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The agreed measures include stringent thresholds to initiate safeguards, such as an 8% increase in import volume or a similar decrease in prices compared to a three-year average, which would trigger an investigation. The European Commission is tasked with continuously monitoring the market impact of these imports and will report its findings to the Parliament and Council every six months.

Gabriel Mato, rapporteur from the EPP, Spain, emphasized the importance of the agreement, stating it provides the necessary legal framework to promptly address market disruptions, ensuring protection for EU farmers. Bernd Lange, Chair of the International Trade committee, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the readiness of the mechanism to detect and address any market disturbances swiftly.

The provisional agreement will now require formal adoption by both the Council and Parliament before it can take effect. The safeguard clauses are also slated to be included in both the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the interim Trade Agreement, which are expected to be ratified later this month. The EU is Mercosur’s second-largest trade partner, with significant exchanges in goods and services noted in recent years.