By a vote of 484 to 70, the lower-house National Assembly approved the government's opposition to the deal "in its current form", in a non-binding vote.

"Under the current conditions" the draft agreement does not guarantee "fair competition for our farmers", Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard told lawmakers before the vote.

Farmers held new demonstrations nationwide on Tuesday against the pact, with police stopping 50 tractors led by members of the second-largest farmers' union, Rural Coordination (CR), near the European Parliament in the eastern city of Strasbourg.

"We're banned from using insecticides, herbicides, GMO seeds, products that are considered dangerous to human health, and all these countries in South America are working with it, with huge deforestation. It is outrageous," said Cyril Hoffmann of the CR union.

France is strongly opposed to the EU signing off on the deal with the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, saying French farmers would face unfair competition undercutting their livelihoods.

EU countries such as Germany and Spain want it swiftly completed, but Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday said that Warsaw would not accept the deal.

France is seeking to form a blocking minority against the deal -- an alliance that, under EU rules, would require at least four member states to succeed.

bur/js/bc

GMO INTERNET GROUP