As the processing of the Mercosur trade deal continues, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said that Ireland's opposition to the deal "is not going to swing the dial".

The minister told farmers at the annual meeting of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) that Ireland's voice is "disproportionate" in Europe.

He said that a "block minority" of 35% of the EU population would be needed to prevent the Mercosur trade deal from going through.

"What Ireland does with our five million population is not going to swing the dial. France is opposed, Austria is in that space. What Italy and Poland does will really matter," Minister Heydon said.

He said that Ireland's €3 billion beef industry can "probably take the financial hit" of the Mercosur trade deal, while it would be preferred not to.

Minister Heydon said that the "bigger issue" is setting environmental goals for farmers in the EU "and then not applying to standards on the other side".

"I also want to ensure that there is consistency of approach - where farmers feel that what is asked of them is asked of others," Minister Heydon said.

"The possibility of an unlevel playing field between farmers in Ireland and the European Union and those outside it, is central to my opposition to the deal and I will be working with other likeminded EU countries to defend the interests of Irish farmers," Minister Heydon said.

He was questioned by ICSA beef committee chair John Cleary on why the Irish government had not been as "strong" in opposing the deal recently, which Cleary described as "disappointing".

Cleary described the trade deal as "a dark cloud on the horizon" for many beef farmers, at a time when beef trade is strong.

"We have the basis, we grow the grass, we have the environment, we have the temperate climate to produce food. There is a golden opportunity for us to look after the requirement that Europe and the UK needs, we should not be looking to fill that gap with [produce from] South America," Cleary said.

The minister said that most trade deals are "good" for Ireland and that he sees the "value" of all the markets in which the country exports to.

However, Minister Heydon said he is "concerned" about US President Donald Trump's administration's protectionist approach, which will see large tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of goods from the EU, Canada, Mexico and China.

He said that the US is moving away from "the rules based international border" that has benefited many farmers.

"Food produced in Europe is produced at a higher standard than anywhere else in the world. For that very reason, it is a strong environmental, business and societal case that we shouldn't be introducing policies to reduce that," Minister Heydon said.

He said that he will continue to represent Ireland's stance on Mercosur in Brussels with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris.