"Dozens of French farmers removed products of non-French origin from shelves at a local E.Leclerc supermarket in Carcassonne on Tuesday, staging a protest against the proposed EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Footage shows demonstrators wearing bright yellow hats filling shopping trolleys with agricultural goods ranging from fruit and vegetables to meat products, which they said originated outside France. Farmers at the protest argued that free trade agreements promoted by the European Union unfairly disadvantage French agriculture and threaten the country’s trade balance. “While we are overwhelmed with administrative, phytosanitary, and regulatory constraints, the countries exporting to us are allowed to use products that are harmful to our health. I don’t want to see my children getting sick or dying because of that,” one potester said. “It’s either bad faith, incompetence, or corruption. But it certainly isn’t logic, common sense, solidarity, or integrity,” added Antoine Micouleau, a member of the Coordination Rurale. Some demonstrators claimed that the deal, which could be signed as early as January 12, would allow food products containing substances such as glyphosate and other pesticides into the French market. “Our French lentils, which are free from these products, can’t find buyers. Why? Because they’re slightly more expensive. But the quality isn’t the same, the products aren’t the same,” said Yann, a farmer from Carcassonne. The supermarket was targeted after Michel-Edouard Leclerc, head of the E.Leclerc group, previously said the retailer would be ready to import products from Mercosur countries if the agreement were finalised. The protest comes after the EU once again postponed signing the agreement, following opposition from Poland, France and Italy. Even if signed, the deal would still require approval from the European Parliament. Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged EU leaders to back the agreement, with South American officials arguing it would benefit both regions and boost cooperation. Negotiated over 25 years, the EU-Mercosur agreement would create the world’s largest free-trade area, covering around 780 million people and roughly a quarter of global GDP, according to EU figures."