A trade agreement to import produce into the European Union is set to be conditional upon animal welfare requirements for the first time.

Eggs imported from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to member states will only be duty-free if the hens are kept in line with EU standards under the provisional terms of the new EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

Previous EU free trade deals have included aspirational provisions on animal welfare, such as the 2014 EU-Ukraine association agreement, but this is the first time the elimination of tariffs have been conditional upon particular standards being upheld.