The Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) has warned that the free trade agreement with Canada, recently approved by the European Parliament, will harm the interests of many people and sectors, benefiting only the large multinationals. For this organization, CETA is postulated as a new “unfair agreement” in which European society -and especially the primary sector – “will not make anything clear and will appear new competitors that will hinder their survival”.
The UPA agrarian organization has ensured that the approval of the free trade agreement with Canada is bad news for the European agri-food sector.
Farmers are concerned that CETA will open the continent’s doors to a country that will compete with European producers “with a previous advantage”
“In Canada there is a model of overproductive macrogranjas with which it is almost impossible to compete”, have explained from UPA. “Their costs are lower because they use products and follow regulations more lax than the European, and that puts us in a situation of clear disadvantage,” they say. Meat and pork beef are the sectors most vulnerable to this situation, which could suffer significant falls in prices.
Spanish producers doubt that CETA will benefit any sector within our borders, including the most exporters, such as fruit and vegetables, wine or oil
Since UPA fear that, to benefit someone, it will be the large multinational marketers, and not the vast majority of farmers and ranchers.
“We will be vigilant,” said UPA, “to demand that the precautionary principle prevail and to monitor every kilogram of product that Canada wants to export to Europe”. They do not hold high hopes, however, in terms of how EU control systems work in agreements such as South Africa or Morocco.
“The fact is that in Canada there is less control over the use of pesticides, seeds, antibiotics and fattening hormones which should be of concern to all Europeans”
Source: UPA
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