Overview

• Hundreds led by the Confédération paysanne marched from the Invalides to the Eiffel Tower, with tractors and a picnic, to denounce the trade pact and support two members on trial the same day.
• The European Commission approved the agreement on 3 September and proposed reinforced safeguard clauses and monitoring for sensitive farm products.
• The text now sits with EU member states, with Brussels seeking sign‑off by December and most large countries backing the deal, while France’s public opposition has softened in private.
• The pact would lower EU tariffs and open quotas for South American beef, pork, poultry, sugar, honey, and rice, including about 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry, in exchange for greater access for European goods such as wine and cheese.
• Critics cite weak sanitary and environmental assurances, pointing to a 2024 EU audit flagging gaps in Brazil’s beef controls, and an MEP said her delegation will file a court challenge to test the deal’s compatibility with EU treaties.