EU agri commissioner says Mercosur must lower ethanol demands to reach trade deal

In Belgium, the European Commissioner for agriculture believes an agreement on a free trade agreement with Mercosur can realistically be achieved by the end of this year but only if the Latin American countries are more modest in their agricultural market access demands, especially for ethanol, sugar and beef. Europe’s sugar and ethanol industries have been vocal about their concerns that additional market access for Mercosur countries, especially for Brazil, could negatively impact their viability.