Irish MEP says Mercosur deal 'disproportionately impact Irish farmers'

Kenneth Fox

Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú said the Mercosur deal 'disproportionately impacts Irish farmers' and the process is not yet complete.

She said the vote by member states to approve Mercosur does not mark the end of the process, but rather the start of lobbying efforts ahead of a critical vote in the European Parliament.

The Ireland South MEP urged her fellow Irish MEPs to work together to lobby colleagues in the European Parliament.

Ní Mhurchú said the agreement disproportionately impacts Irish farmers and rural communities, particularly in her own constituency, and she urged her fellow MEPs to consider the public health and environmental risks of allowing large amounts of Mercosur beef into EU markets.

She highlighted the fact that Irish agriculture operates to some of the highest environmental, animal welfare, and food safety standards globally, with farmers having made significant investments to meet these requirements.

“It is fundamentally unfair to expect Irish farmers, who comply with some of the strictest standards in the world, to compete with imports produced under far lower regulatory requirements,” she said.

She also pointed to serious concerns around traceability issues with Mercosur beef and public health concerns around the use of illegal hormones and antibiotics in the production of cheap Mercosur beef.

“I stand firmly with Irish farmers and rural communities and will do everything in my power to oppose this agreement,” she said.

Meanwhile, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Michael McGrath, has been asked to urgently intervene in a procedural row that could see attempts by the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to proceed with the implementation of the EU Mercosur trade deal before democratic ratification by the European Parliament.

MEP Ciaran Mullooly wrote to Commissioner McGrath asking him to personally contact President von der Leyen and “stop these attempts to side-step the European Parliament, who have a legal and legislative role in the final rejection or ratification of the deal.”

He asked for an urgent meeting with the Commissioner in the next 48 hours to discuss the situation, and will deliver a petition signed by over 30,000 people against the trade deal going ahead after a public protest in Athlone organised by the Independent Ireland party last Saturday.

“To ignore the procedures established under European treaties and proceed with implementation without the vote of the parliament would be dangerous, highly irresponsible, and hugely damaging to the relationship between the European Citizens and the Commission.