An EU delegation to the South American country of Brazil has been described as "last-minute and tokenistic" ahead of crucial vote on the Mercosur trade deal.

The deal will allow 99,000t carcass weight of Mercosur beef - mainly from Brazil - to enter the EU at a much reduced tariff rate of 7.5%.

The quantity of beef under this quota will be phased in over a five-year period.

Sinn Féin TD for Carlow Kilkenny and member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agricultural and Food, Natasha Newsome Drennan has heavily criticised the timing and scope of an MEP delegation to visit Brazil’s agriculture sector, labelling it a "last-minute, tokenistic, box-ticking exercise".

The delegation from the EU Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development is visiting the Brazilian agriculture sector just weeks before an important vote on the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement in Brussels.

Brazil is the largest economy of the four Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay).

During the visit, the group of MEPs is due to meet with the Minister for Family Agriculture and Agrarian Development of Brazil, Paulo Teixeira and other representatives of the federal and state governments.

MEPs also expect to learn about Brazilian research and technological innovation for plant and animal production systems while visiting a research centre dedicated to sustainable development.

Deputy Newsome Drennan expressed scepticism about the value of the three-day trip, stating that it raises serious questions about the depth of scrutiny being applied.

Deputy Newsome Drennan said: “This is not the thorough, sustained engagement required. It risks being a tokenistic, three-day photo opportunity rather than a meaningful assessment of the standard of their beef production sector.”

“How can we have confidence in the findings if the delegation is only seeing a select few, potentially pre-approved facilities?

"What we needed over the past months was a detailed, transparent on-the-ground analysis by EU officials and our own stakeholders.”

The Sinn Féin TD added that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have members on this committee and claimed that their absence on the delegation is disappointing considering the "harsh impact" the Mercosur deal could potentially have on farms and the economy.

“The time for sitting on the fence is over. The Irish Government must proactively work with other like-minded EU member states to halt the current Mercosur agreement, an agreement that is fundamentally flawed," Newsome Drennan continued.

‘’While it may benefit some EU states, the devastating damage it poses to our family farms, our agricultural sector, and the global environment is too high a price to pay.”