Cheap and dangerous food from South America directly supports Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Instead of keeping money and food security in Europe, the money will flow to Brazil and then on to Russia, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warns.
On Sept. 3, the European Commission adopted the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. Before it can enter into force, the agreement must still be approved by the European Parliament and member states in a vote at the EU Council.
“The EU-Mercosur agreement is a deadly threat to Polish agriculture. Cheap food from South America is also a support for Putin. Instead of staying in Europe, money will flow to Brazil… and further to Russia. What is the government doing?” wrote Morawiecki on X.
Umowa UE🇪🇺–Mercosur🇧🇷 to śmiertelne zagrożenie dla polskiego rolnictwa.
Tania żywność z Ameryki Płd. to też wsparcie dla Putina. Zamiast zostać w Europie, pieniądze popłyną do Brazylii… i dalej do Rosji. Co robi rząd? pic.twitter.com/5ni8IiwtY7
— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) September 18, 2025This vote will be pivotal, and there is every reason to believe this disastrous trade agreement — which will bankrupt farmers, destroy vital South American rainforests, and potentially poison millions of Europeans with illegal pesticides — will pass.
The agreement is strongly supported by German politician and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The Mercosur agreement is beneficial for German Big Business, especially chemical producers who sell South American pesticides banned in Europe. For tens of millions of German citizens, however, the deal is anything but favorable.
It is also particularly unfavorable for Poland, which has its own healthy agricultural sector. Farmers and many experts predict that Polish agriculture will decline in some areas.
Morawiecki: ‘This issue has a deeper meaning’
Morawiecki warns of the consequences of the agreement in his X post.
His video notes that the current government said it would fight against the agreement, and it quoted Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s words from his campaign:
“I say a firm ‘no’ to the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur,” he said at the time.
Morawiecki’s video warns that “when it comes to fighting for the real interests of Polish farmers, they ignore our breadwinners. If we are flooded with food from South America, our farmers will lose their last semblance of competitiveness in a market that is already severely compromised by extensive European bureaucracy, but there’s another layer to this issue. Brazil, which accounts for three-quarters of the entire Mercosur organization, is one of the few countries in the world that not only hasn’t suspended but has drastically increased the value of its trade with Russia after 2022.”
“We cannot allow Polish agriculture and the security of all of Europe to be sacrificed on the altar of German and French interests. Stop talking about how great you are and show some agency for once,” Morawiecki’s video concludes.
