Farmers flood Strasbourg as EU Mercosur trade deal nears parliamentary vote

Mace | 21st January 2026 | Brussels, Policy & Think Tanks, Politics

Thousands of farmers descended on the streets of Strasbourg and other European cities this week ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament on the controversial trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.

Demonstrators driving tractors and waving national flags gathered near EU institutions, aiming to put pressure on lawmakers as the long delayed agreement edges closer to a decisive parliamentary moment.

Farmers from France, Italy, Belgium, Ireland and Poland were among those mobilised by national unions and agricultural organisations. Convoys of tractors blocked roads leading to Strasbourg, while protests were also held in national capitals and regional centres. Local authorities reported large scale participation over several days as farming groups sought to show the depth of opposition across multiple member states.

The demonstrations follow provisional backing for the EU Mercosur agreement by a majority of EU governments earlier this month, a move that sharpened resistance among farming communities. Several countries including France, Austria, Hungary, Ireland and Poland have raised concerns about the deal’s agricultural impact, exposing deep divisions within the bloc even before the European Parliament casts its vote.

In Ireland, thousands of farmers marched through Athlone earlier in January, warning that increased imports of South American beef could have severe consequences for domestic producers. Similar concerns have been raised by cattle farmers in France and Poland, where agricultural groups argue that price pressure from imports would further strain an already …

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