EU and Mercosur countries resume trade talks including ethanol and sugar discussions

In Brazil, Unica, Brazil’s cane industry group told Reuters that trade talks resuming between the EU and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries will likely include ethanol trade discussions. Unica said ethanol was excluded from the EU proposal last year and Brazil was surprised by the move because the biofuel had been part of a 2004 proposal allowing imports of about 1 million tons to the EU. Unica said that the new EU offer will include a 600,000 ton-quota for ethanol, of which 400,000 tons for industrial use. “We consider that not acceptable,” Eduardo Leão, Unica director, said in the statement, considering the volumes too low.