Poland will block the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement in its current form, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday. The deal, negotiated since 1999 and covering 700 million people across the EU and Mercosur nations (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Uruguay), remains controversial, especially among European farmers.

Poland opposes the EU-Mercosur free trade deal with South American countries in its current form, the prime minister said on Tuesday, joining France in standing against an agreement European farmers say will expose them to unfair competition.

In addition to Paris and Warsaw, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands are also concerned about the free-trade agreement's impact on their agricultural sectors. Yet, at this stage, they have not all committed themselves.