The European Parliament approved measures to protect European farmers under a potential trade deal with South American countries, a key technical step needed to finalize the landmark pact.

Some MEPs want the top EU court to review the Latin American trade deal — a process that could take 18-24 months.

France and Italy want stronger safeguards for farmers and are urging a delay to the EU vote on Mercosur, threatening a deal decades in the making.

EU lawmakers backed on Tuesday tighter controls on imports of agricultural products resulting from a potential trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur, potentially meeting the complaints of critics of the deal.

Lawmakers voted by a wide margin to approve additional safeguard measures to shield European farmers should local markets be destabilized by a glut of cheaper agricultural produce from Mercosur. Out of the 662 lawmakers attending, 431 MEPs voted in favor, 161 against and 70 abstained.

French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu recently asked Brussels to delay a decision on the Mercosur deal beyond a December 20th deadline. The Irish Government has said it will work with like-minded countries to address concerns about the deal’s impact on beef farmers.

Fine Gael MEP for Midlands North West Maria Walsh has called on the Irish Government to outright reject the EU-Mercosur trade agreement ahead of a potential final vote on the deal later this week.