The European Commission will resume trade talks with Mercosur in September with a view to signing an agreement at a WTO meeting in Argentina in December, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan said at the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels this week. He noted a “moderation of expectations on the Mercosur side” and vowed to protect agriculture.

Several ministers “expressed misgivings on the Mercosur agreement, highlighting the importance of defending sensitive sectors like beef meat, ethanol and sugar,” according to a council statement. Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed is understood to be among them after the Beef Forum agreed on an Irish position to keep beef out of the talks.

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