> The source of his worry is a huge trade deal being negotiated by the European Union and the four Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — an accord whose signature seems closer than ever.
> The new imports would represent just one percent of Europe's total beef production, and 4.5 percent of France's output.
So the deal hasn't been signed and wouldn't represent much.
> Issues à près de 92 % de l’Union européenne, les importations de viande bovine chutent de 16,8 % sur un an, pour atteindre près de 283 milliers de tec en 2020
Which rougly translates to "92% of beef imports are coming from the UE. They fell by 16.8% to 283k tec in 2020".
There's a total in "tableau 2", page 3. 28.4% of the total meat is imported, 18.9% for the beef. The total non EU beef is thus 8% (100% of total beef imported - 92% of UE beef) * 18.9% (percentage of imported beef). Rounded up, it's 1.6%. I would hardly call that "outsourcing their diets and problems" and "pulling a lot of their beef from South America". More than 80% of the cattle eaten is localy raised, less than 2% comes from outside the EU.
South American beef is not a thing in France. We surely have plenty of other issues, but South American beef is not one of them.
France, for example, has been pulling a lot of their beef from south america rather than eating locally raised cattle.
https://www.thelocal.fr/20180117/french-farmers-fear-ruin-ov...