Indigenous representatives from Brazil have traveled to Brussels to voice their opposition to the proposed EU-Mercosur trade agreement, raising concerns that increased agricultural exports will come at the expense of their ancestral territories.
In meetings with Members of the European Parliament and European Commission officials, the indigenous leaders highlighted fears that the deal—if ratified by the European Parliament and EU Member States—will lead to the expansion of agriculture and livestock farming in native territories that have existed since before Portuguese colonization in the 16th century.
The agreement aims to reduce or eliminate duties on a wide range of agricultural exports from the Mercosur bloc—Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay—to the EU. As the EU is already the second-largest trading partner of Mercosur countries, with trade exceeding €100 billion annually, the deal is expected to fuel further growth in South American exports. In Brazil, this likely means more large-scale cultivation of soy, millet, and sugarcane, along with expanded cattle farming.
“The agreement will increase deforestation and socio-environmental conflicts. It does not guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples, on the contrary, it creates instability and legal uncertainty for us, as economic interests that want to further exploit indigenous territories will benefit from this agreement,” said Dinamam Tuxá, coordinator of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, in an interview with Euronews.
He warned that the deal would empower large agribusinesses and entities using illegal methods to seize indigenous land, while also complicating enforcement of the EU’s upcoming anti-deforestation law, set to take effect in 2026.
“We are against this agreement, but the Brazilian government is in favour, because it wants to produce more. And this production will be done on our heads, on our bodies, at the expense of our rivers and the forest,” said Alessandra Korap, spokesperson for the Amazonian Munduruku people.
The indigenous leaders emphasized that while economic partnerships are not inherently negative, trade agreements must not come at the cost of human rights, ecological balance, and cultural survival.
