In a stark paper to European journalists, COPA (the EU umbrella body for EU farming union's) outlined that the current deal on the table would cost EU farmers a staggering €18 billion.
This results from a combination of greater market access to the European market for cheap food imports and less support for EU food exports. Northern Ireland as a livestock and export based industry is particularly vulnerable to the impact of a bad WTO deal.
Beef imports to the EU could rise by 500,000 tonnes because of the deal on the table.
Poultry imports to the EU could rise by between 315,000 and 415,000 tonnes.
Pigmeat imports to the EU could rise by 200,000 tonnes.
Overall COPA predict a 27% fall in EU farm incomes if the current WTO proposals were adopted.
In Dublin this week the UFU joined the Irish Farmers' Association to protest in Dublin at the potential impact of the WTO deal on Irish agriculture North and South of the border.
The IFA predict that if the current WTO deal was agreed one in every two steaks purchased in the EU would be an import.
The current EU price for beef striploin is €13.00. After a WTO deal this could fall to €9.00, a 30% price cut for the beef sector, making specialist beef production unviable.
Current EU cattle prices of €3.25 could fall to €2.25 after a WTO deal.
Poultry price could fall to 90 pence per KG.
Milk price could fall to 19 pence per litre as a result of increased butter and other dairy product imports.
The EU Commission this week updated Ministers on the latest state of play in the WTO negotiations. It seems that a very large number of Agriculture Ministers are now very sceptical, with numerous criticisms of the lack of balance between agriculture and the other aspects of the trade negotiations.
French farm Minister Michel Barnier stated that he would not allow France to sign up to a bad deal.
UFU President Kenneth Sharkey said the UFU was fully engaged in ensuring agriculture and jobs in Northern Ireland were protected in the WTO negotiations, and not sacrificed to allow negotiators to reach a wider deal: "We would question the motives of countries such as Brazil, China and India, who are calling for the dismantling of European farm supports.
"These countries are already major agricultural exporters and enjoy significant global trade. However the world's poorest nations would not benefit from sweeping changes to EU trade structures."
The current WTO negotiations, known as the Doha Round, have an agenda to help developing countries.
The UFU highlights the following to demonstrate that Europe already has a very positive and targeted track record in assisting developing nations:
o The European 'Everything But Arms' deal, allows free access to the European market for the worlds 47 poorest countries.
o The EU currently imports more agricultural produce from developing nations than the rest of the world put together.
o Europe already imports 85% of Africa's food exports.
o The CAP has already been reformed and is not trade distorting.
15 million people gain their livelihoods from farming in the EU 25 and many millions more work in the food sector. The EU should not put these jobs at risk in order to enable the US and other major exporters, like Brazil, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, to expand their share of the EU and world market.
These are the countries which will gain from EU concessions, not the truly needy countries of the world.