Phil Hogan vows to protect European farm sectors in free trade talks

An EU Parliament vote in February could clear the way for implementation of much of the EU-Canada free trade agreement, but the EU’s TTIP trade negotiations with the USA are on hold, pending the settling in of the new Trump administration.

In another development likely to be of major significance for farmers, the EU and New Zealand are preparing to launch talks on a free trade agreement.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Bill English met with the President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker in December, with kick starting free trade talks high on the agenda.