Furture EU trade talks to hit beef farmers

Beef farmers will be the biggest losers in future EU trade deals, the European Commission has said.

Cheaper imports from the South American Mercosur bloc and the recovering dairy market will push down EU beef production and prices, it states in a long-awaited impact study.

Dairy and pigmeat exports will see steady gains, says the report, which looked at the cost of 12 pending trade deals on EU agri-food markets.