19/01/26 Mercosur trade deal between Europe and South America, winter feed.

Available for 29 days

After 25 years of negotiations, the European Union has signed the Mercosur trade deal. Farmers across Europe have been out on the streets protesting against it and farming unions in the UK warn that it could threaten the future of family farms. The free trade deal between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay gives European businesses access to a market of more than 250 million people and is seen as a way of offsetting business lost because of US tariffs. However it will also open the door to tariff-free imports of food, particularly beef, which European farmers argue is not produced to the same standards. The deal was not approved by all EU countries, France and Ireland were among those voting against, and it will have to be ratified by the European Parliament. All week we're focusing on what farm animals are eating this winter, from grains to soy and silage: it is a mixture of forage, things grown on the farm like hay or silage; and feed that's bought in from the UK or abroad. A combination of geopolitical events, a challenging UK harvest, and an exceptionally dry summer in some areas has put pressure on the supplies of feed. The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) says the UK needs a national protein strategy to safeguard feed security because that impacts food security Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney