Farmers fear bad European Union trade deal as Australia seeks to finalise negotiations

Despite more than a dozen rounds of discussions over three years, the deal stalled earlier this year after Australia declared the market access for its agricultural products wasn't good enough.

Trade Minister Don Farrell will meet with EU trade delegates in Belgium this week and in Japan for the G7 trade ministers' meeting later this month. He remained hopeful a deal could be signed by the end of the year.

"We weren't able to do it back in July but I've indicated since then that we want a deal," he said.

National Farmers' Federation outgoing-president Fiona Simson said farmers were fearful of being sold out at the eleventh hour.

"We have grave concerns that Minister Farrell is headed to Osaka with his signing pen at the ready," Ms Simson said.

"We're yet to hear any indication that the EU is willing to put a commercially meaningful deal on the table. Everything we've seen so far would actually send parts of our sector backwards. We've never seen a proposed trade deal like it."

Ms Simson said the current proposal would lock Aussie farmers in at a disadvantage for the next half century, pointing to geographical indicator naming restrictions, more red tape dictating how product is farmed and poor EU market access.

Australia-EU Red Meat Market Access Taskforce chair Andrew McDonald said with the EU holding firm on its highly restrictive quota position, there should be no deal without addressing the red meat sector's disproportionately low volume access.

"This access has been largely unaltered for nearly 50 years; but to make matters worse, it has actually been eroded while we've been negotiating the FTA," Mr McDonald said.

"We've watched our competitors improve their access to the market and now we're looking to 'level the playing field' - as the EU mantra consistently states."

With European elections taking place next year, negotiators are working to strike a deal before the campaigns take centre stage.

Belgium ambassador Michel Goffin expected the deal to get over the line based on the "high level of political will" from EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

"I'm pretty optimistic the FTA will be concluded certainly before the end of this year," Mr Goffin said.

"I understand negotiations are going on and will be finalised. All in all, there will be concessions on both sides."

But Ms Simson said there was no rush to sign the deal and urged Australia not to be intimidated by the "EU throwing its weight around".

"We want to see a good deal for everyone, but currently we're being asked to sit at the table and watch the EU have its cake and eat it too," she said.

"A photo op at the signing table lasts five minutes, but a dud deal will dictate our fortunes for a generation."