More troubling reports are emerging in the media about the EU’s agreement with the Mercosur countries. Tariffs on high-quality beef are set to be reduced from 20% to 0% as early as May 1. Moreover, the European Commission has reportedly relinquished its authority to decide which companies from Mercosur countries may export food to the EU. Politicians from Confederation and Law and Justice (PiS) claim outright that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, did not tell the truth about Mercosur.
Secret decisions in Brussels? Politicians warn of consequences for farmers
RMF FM has reported that, starting Friday, May 1, more duty-free beef from Mercosur will enter the EU market than previously disclosed.
“Additionally, Brussels is said to have ceded EU trade sovereignty to South American countries by granting nations such as Brazil and Argentina control over which entities will be allowed to export beef to the EU,”
according to RMF FM.
These reports concerning falsehoods about the EU–Mercosur agreement have been strongly criticized by right-wing politicians.
“It has been revealed that von der Leyen LIED about the Mercosur agreement! Starting Friday, tens of thousands of tonnes of duty-free beef will flood the market, and the European Commission has handed over to Brazil and Argentina the decision on who will export food to the EU,”
said Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik.
The Confederation MEP then pointed to three “scandalous” decisions related to the agreement with Mercosur countries:
- The European Commission had promised 99,000 tonnes of beef from Mercosur over six years, yet nearly 60,000 tonnes will enter on the very first day the agreement takes effect, Friday, May 1. That is not all, according to RMF FM, such beef had previously been subject to a 20% tariff, which has now suddenly been reduced to zero, making imports immediately cheaper and pushing products from, among others, Polish farmers out of the market. This amounts to a strategy aimed at the rapid erosion of European producers.
- As if that were not enough, the European Commission has, of its own accord, waived its ability to determine which companies from Mercosur countries may export food to the EU. This authority has been fully transferred to South American states, meaning that they, not European importers, will decide which companies and how many thousands of tonnes of food will be sold to the EU. Yet, as the Commission itself acknowledged in a recent audit, Brazil does NOT adequately control the quality of food exported to the EU. It is difficult to believe that EU bureaucrats would give this away for nothing, raising the question of who benefited and by how much.
- According to the French daily Le Point, these changes, highly unfavorable for farmers and consumers alike, were introduced quietly just a few days ago. The document altering the rules for food imports from Mercosur was adopted on April 22, 2026, without informing the public.
In the opinion of PiS MEP Piotr Müller, this represents a blow to Polish farmers and producers, increases price pressure, and hands over control of part of the import process to Mercosur countries.
“Urgent explanations from the European Commission and action by the Polish government are needed. The European market cannot be opened quietly at the expense of food security and fair competition,”
the PiS politician wrote.
