"To find new markets for EU agricultural products, we have to move forward with ambitious free trade negotiations with third countries," Tamm said in a press release following a meeting on Thursday with Jean-Luc Demarty, director general of the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade.

He said that according to the director general, the EU agricultural sector would have much to gain from a free trade treaty with Japan, since Japan imports most of the food it consumes. The European Commission sees to it that no trade agreement between the EU and third countries will put European farmers at a competitive disadvantage.

The main topic at Tamm and Demarty's meeting was the 11th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to be held in Buenos Aires at the end of 2017, the focus of which will be on agriculture.

"As the president [of the EU], we must be prepared to fully support the European Commission in preparing for the meeting and in negotiations with other EU and WTO member states in order to arrive at an agreement in Buenos Aires that takes the common interests of the EU into account," Tamm said.