Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon will seek assurances on the EU-Mercosur trade deal during a meeting of EU ministers for agriculture in Brussels today (Wednesday, January 7).

The extraordinary meeting, hosted by the European Commission, will be attended by EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen and Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Oliver Varhelyi.

The commission has said the meeting is to reflect on actions which can be taken by the EU to support the farming and food sector this year, taking into account the concerns expressed during farmer protests in December.

CAP

Minister Heydon said the meeting "offers a valuable opportunity to address the concerns expressed recently by European farmers, who are clearly feeling excluded and uncertain about their future".

"As I have said previously, if the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is to deliver for food security and environmental sustainability, as well as safeguarding the continued viability of our farmers and rural communities, adequate and stable funding must be the starting point," he said.

The draft EU budget or Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) published last summer proposed a ringfenced amount of €293 billion for the CAP budget for 2028-2034.

"When compared to the allocation in the current round (€387 billion), this is clearly inadequate, considering our shared ambition for a sustainable, competitive and innovative agri-food sector which assures European food security, produces safe nutritious food, and is attractive for the next generation of farmers," Heydon said.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has committed to a proposal to make an further €45 billion available in the first year (2028) of the EU's next long-term budget for farm payments.

Mercosur

Minister Heydon also addressed the need to improve the competitiveness of European farmers and ensure greater level playing field globally.

"I fully appreciate the concerns of farmers in this regard, particularly given recent examples in relation to the standards of beef production in Mercosur countries.

"The EU’s food safety or Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) standards are among the highest in the world, and must be non-negotiable.

"Ireland is very firmly of the view that EU SPS standards must be rigorously upheld for the benefit of European consumers.

"We need to hear from the European Commission on what further assurances they can give on these issues," he said.

Minister Heydon added that he will be "engaging fully with my member state counterparts and with the relevant commissioners on these and other issues in the course of today’s discussions".