BRUSSELS — The trade accord that the European Union wants to strike with the Mercosur bloc of South American nations would be “disastrous” for French farmers, Prime Minister Michel Barnier said in Brussels on Wednesday, saying it should not be passed against his country’s will.

France has announced it will not accept the EU-Mercosur free trade deal as it currently stands. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier conveyed this decision to the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,

Euractiv understands the EU’s former Brexit negotiator, who still has excellent entries at the Commission’s highest levels, will actively raise France’s concerns over the deal in his meetings, and should push back against any swift agreement.

European farmers protested in Brussels on Wednesday against the EU-Mercosur free trade deal with South American countries, with farmers in neighbouring France saying they would follow suit from early next week.

French farmers have protested against a trade deal that would increase agricultural imports from South America, saying it hurt their livelihoods

A machine plants soybeans on a farm in a rural area of Sidrolandia, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, Oct. 22, 2022.