As the ink dried on one of the world's biggest trade deals, signed in Uruguay this month and hailed as a milestone for the global economy, anger was brewing thousands of miles away in France.

Under the agreement between the EU on the one hand, and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on the other, taxes will be significantly reduced and the amount of allowed imports and exports will be increased.

The deal would affect nearly 800 million people.

It is in stark contrast to Donald Trump's plans to dramatically increase defense when he returns to the White House next month.

The deal still needs to be approved by the 27 EU member states, and France plans to block it, fearing it will harm its farming sector.

Alix Heurtault, a 34-year-old French farmer, says she is worried about her future if the proposed deal goes ahead.

"I am afraid that the agreement will mean that the headaches will become even more difficult for farmers like me," she said.

As a result, she is crossing her fingers that the French government will be able to stop it.

The proposed trade agreement will mean more South American beef, chicken and sugar coming to the EU, and at lower prices. And on the other hand, the likes of European cars, clothes and wine would have more access to the Mercosur zone.

For France to block the deal it must persuade at least three other EU countries, representing at least 35% of the total population, to join it. Ireland, Poland and Austria are also opposed, but Italy will likely have to come on board to meet the required population quota.

And with the media giving very conflicting reports about Italy's situation, we will have to wait and see which way the Italians will go when the vote is held some time in 2025.

In the meantime, French farmers continue to pressure Paris not to back down. French President Emmanuel Macron is listening, and has described the trade deal as "unacceptable in its current form".

Ms Heurtault grows sugar beet, wheat and barley on a 150-hectare farm in the small town of Villeneuve-sur-Auvers, which is 60km (37 miles) south of Paris.

She says the deal would see French farmers hit hard to help EU manufacturers. "It feels like we are a bargaining chip. Farmers in the Mercosur countries (the name of the bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) have fewer restrictions on pesticides and lower labor costs."

Ms Heurtault's view is widely held across the French farming sector, which has been holding regular protests in recent months.

A few weeks ago about 200 farmers placed straw bales in front of the Grand Palais museum and exhibition center in Paris.

They lit red flames, and chanted slogans like "We feed you, show us some respect".

The protest was held at the same time as an annual meeting of importers and exporters of goods that was taking place at the center.

Stéphane Gallais, cattle farmer and national secretary of the farmers' union Confédération Paysanne, who organized the event, explained why it was being held.

"Today's demonstration is a stand against free trade, especially the EU-Mercosur agreement that we have been against since it was first discussed in the late 1990s," he said.

While France is against the trade agreement, other countries in the EU, such as Germany, Spain and Portugal are strongly against it.

Advocates welcome that it would be a stark contrast to Trump's threats of increased protectionism.

"It would be a good sign at a time when we have a trend in the opposite direction towards economic collapse and protectionism, especially with US President Donald Trump doubtful for re-election," said Uri Dadush, research professor for trade policy at the University of Maryland in the US.

Dr Dadush says that although there will be a negative impact on European farmers, he says this will be very limited.

"The agreement is a threat to European farmers, because the most competitive agricultural sector in the world is gaining access to their market, but we are talking about very little liberalization spread over time big," he said.

He says that the Mercosur countries would still have limits on what they could export to the EU under the agreement. Such as their first annual increase quota of beef exports still accounts for less than 1% of EU meat consumption.

Dr. Dadush said that "the agreement is an opportunity to push for much-needed market-based reform in the heavily subsidized EU agricultural sector, and Mercosur's protected factory sector".

Chris Hegadorn, associate professor for global food policies at the university of Paris Science Po, and former secretary of the Committee on World Food Security at the UN, says that the agreement would fully beneficial to Europe - including its farmers.

"It obviously depends on the sub-sector you're looking at, but French cheese and wine producers will benefit," he says.

He says it will also improve health and environmental standards in Mercosur countries, and increase ties with the EU at a time when "China is also trying to gain a foothold in Latin America".

But David Cayla, a lecturer in economics at the University of Angers in western France and a member of the left-wing group "The Dismayed Economists", doubts that the EU will be able to enforce higher standards in Latin American countries.

"It is impossible to control their implementation," he said. "Our farmers will only face more competition from countries with better climates and more fertile soils.

"But we have to protect European agriculture - that's also a question of food sovereignty," he stresses, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown how quickly global supply chains can collapse in times of crisis.

Antoine Gomel, who in 2017 took over his family's 24-hectare chicken and beef farm in a small town near Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France, says that being against the trade agreement about saving the country of France.

"Farms will disappear leaving our towns desolate - this agreement will not accelerate," said the 42-year-old woman.

“But farms are vital to the cohesion of the country, especially because they create jobs.

"Farms can help bring them back together, by literally anchoring them."

Back in front of the Grand Palais in Paris, cleaners were sweeping away the straw left by the protesters.

The farmer Stéphane Gallais was still nearby, watching them. "The EU-Mercosur agreement is very damaging and would be a real symbol if the EU member states did not ratify it," he said.