Protest against pact – “Mercosur deprives us livestock farmers of our livelihood”

It’s bitterly cold out there on the pasture of Harald Edlinger, a cattle rancher in the Mostviertel, and the dark, cloudy sky turns to rain and later even light snowfall. “The EU obviously doesn’t care that this family here in Ferschnitz, as one of tens of thousands of farming families, is worried about their existence because of the Mercosur agreement that is getting closer and closer,” says Paul Nemecek, director of the farmers’ association of Lower Austria angry. The impending disaster spurs the powerful agrarians and his clientele into even more stubborn resistance to the pact with Brazil.

It is no different with Josef Fradler, the chairman of the Association for Sustainable Livestock Farming Austria and ARGE Rind with a total of around 70,000 companies. “Compared to agricultural groups from the Mercosur countries, small-scale agriculture in Austria is not competitive and is at risk,” argues the farmer.

Just looking at the bare numbers proves him right. Because while in Austria about 90 percent of the cattle feed comes from its own production, the cattle in these countries only receive industrial ready-to-eat feed, regardless of the area.

Fradler’s concern: “If the treaty enters into force, the Mercosur countries would cover 15 to 20 percent of the beef volume in the EU at bargain prices.” This mountain of meat is equivalent to about 3.5 million cattle. In Austria, on the other hand, only 500,000 cattle are slaughtered each year.

Warning from Spar board member Markus Kaser and Greenpeace boss Alex Egit: “All this threatens to destroy our farmers, destroy the rainforest and feed us hormone meat and toxic pesticides.”