There has been a broad welcome of the Tánaiste’s confirmation that Ireland will vote against the Mercosur trade agreement when it comes before EU Ambassadors for ratification in Brussels tomorrow.
Clare Fine Gael Deputy Joe Cooney TD has welcomed said the decision reflects a position he has held since his election to the Dáil, noting that Ireland could not support the deal in the form in which it was presented.
Deputy Cooney said he would be attending Saturday’s protest against Mercosur in Athlone and issued an appeal to all Irish MEPs to reject the deal when it comes before them in Strasbourg later this month.
He explained, “In recent weeks the Taoiseach, Minister Martin Heydon, Minister Helen McEntee and the Tánaiste have worked hard across Government and with our European partners to secure the best possible outcome for Ireland. That work involved building support with other countries that shared our concerns and pressing for stronger safeguards that would address real issues around standards, fairness and protections,” he said.
“Although the EU has agreed to some extra measures, they do not go far enough to meet the concerns of Irish citizens or to protect the livelihoods of our farmers.”
Deputy Cooney highlighted the findings of a recent investigation in Brazil by the IFA and the Irish Farmers Journal, which exposed significant gaps in standards around the use of steroids and antibiotics in Mercosur countries.
“Irish and EU farmers work under some of the highest animal welfare, environmental and public health rules in the world. These rules come with real costs. It is not fair or credible to allow products into the EU market that are produced under much weaker conditions,” he said.
Deputy Cooney said he supports balanced trade agreements that strengthen and diversify the Irish economy but insisted that agriculture should never have been included in the deal.
“The risks to Irish beef farmers in particular are too great and the safeguards offered do not provide the protection required,” he said.
“For these reasons, and in line with the Government’s position, I remain firmly opposed to the ratification of the Mercosur agreement. I would appeal to Irish MEPs to reject the deal when it comes before them in Strasbourg later this month. I will also be attending Saturday’s protest against Mercosur in Athlone.”
Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil, is also supporting Irish Government decision to oppose Mercosur.
“The Irish Government was right to stick to the commitments made to the Irish people in the last election and in its own Programme for Government and oppose the Mercosur trade deal.”
Kelleher, an MEP for Ireland South and a member of the Parliament’s Environment and Public Health Committees, was commenting after the Taoiseach and Tánaiste announced that the Irish Government would vote against the trade deal with the South American trade bloc.
“I’m a free trader to my fingertips and it annoys me that I cannot support this deal. There are many positives to it but unfortunately the section regarding beef imports into the European Union is sub-optimal and not acceptable to me.
“While some positive tinkering around market distortion safeguards has been included, the fundamental issue of sub-standard beef, produced to lower health and safety requirements, entering the European food chain remains.
“We expect European farmers to adhere to very strict environmental, sustainability and health standards yet, with this deal, we are allowing beef that doesn’t match our own standards to be sold in European supermarkets.
“Irish consumers expect high quality, safe produce. It’s clear from recent investigations that this cannot be guaranteed when it comes to Brazilian beef. We have seen incidents of unacceptable antibiotic and growth hormone use. Consumers will not tolerate this.“Once the Member States vote on the Mercosur deal this week, attention will turn to the European Parliament where a vote will take place later this month.
“I will be voting against the Mercosur trade agreement,” concluded Kelleher.
Clare’s Aontú representative June Dillon, Aontú representative for Clare, has warned that the Mercosur trade deal poses a serious threat to Irish agriculture, food standards and rural communities, as a crucial Mercosur-related vote approaches in Europe.
Ms Dillon said the agreement risks exposing Irish farmers to unfair competition from South American beef and poultry produced under standards that would not be permitted in Ireland.
“Irish beef is not a commodity of convenience. It is a premium product, built on generations of skill, some of the strongest regulations in the world, and a reputation for quality that Ireland enjoys on every major market,” she said.
“We have earned that standing by accepting rules others are not asked to follow. Mercosur threatens to replace excellence with expedience.”
Ireland’s livestock sector operates under strict controls on traceability, hormones, antibiotics, animal welfare and environmental protection.
By contrast, serious concerns have been raised about oversight, hormone use and production practices in parts of the Mercosur bloc.
“We are being asked to accept that beef produced under looser conditions should compete head-to-head with beef produced under the toughest. That is not competition; it is dilution. It risks turning a gold standard into a bargaining chip.”
Ms Dillon warned that a major inflow of cheaper imports could drive down prices across the EU, hitting Irish farmers particularly hard because of their heavy reliance on export markets.
“When you destabilise the price of food, you destabilise the people who produce it. And when family farms fall, they do not fall quietly — they take rural jobs, local economies and food security with them.”
She also highlighted recent food-safety revelations.
Recent reporting by the Irish Farmers Journal revealed that Brazilian beef found on sale in Ireland tested positive for a banned, carcinogenic growth hormone.
“That is a chilling warning,” Ms Dillon said.
Ms Dillon said the national protest against Mercosur in Athlone this Saturday remains vitally important.
“This campaign has already shown what public pressure can do,” she said.
“But this fight is not over. We must ensure Mercosur is not revived quietly, repackaged later, or traded away behind closed doors.”
She added: “This Saturday must be a show of strength. I urge as many people as possible to go to Athlone and make their voices heard. Ireland will be watching. Our Government will be watching. And history will judge whether, when our world-renowned farming and agricultural heritage was placed in jeopardy, we stood idle — or stood together.”
Ms Dillon concluded: “This decision will shape Irish agriculture for a generation. Aontú will continue to oppose Mercosur because Ireland’s farmers, standards and reputation deserve defence, not disposal.”
Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has also welcomed confirmation that Ireland will oppose Mercosur deal
Deputy Crowe said: “The news that Ireland will oppose the Mercosur trade deal will come as a big relief to many farming families, our own included.
“I am part of a group of back-bench Fianna Fáil TDs from rural/farming backgrounds that has resolutely opposed this deal for a long time.
“It was in our general election manifesto, and it was in the Programme for Government that we signed up to.“To switch positions would have been a betrayal of the Irish beef sector. I am glad that the position of the Government is now unequivocal.”