Tánaiste Simon Harris has confirmed that Ireland will vote against the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement in a key vote on Friday (January 9).

There had been some uncertainty in how Ireland would cast its vote in a meeting of member states' permanent representatives to the EU.

It now seems that Ireland will vote in accordance with a commitment in the Programme for Government to reject the deal.

However, it is understood that Ireland's 'no' vote will not be enough the scupper the trade deal, as it will likely have enough support to pass.

In a statement, the Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader said: "The Government's position on Mercosur has always been clear: we did not support the deal in the form in which it was presented.

"Over recent weeks, the Taoiseach [Micheál Martin], Minister [for Agriculture, Food and the Marine] Martin Heydon, Minister [for Foreign Affairs and Trade] Helen McEntee, and I have been intensively engaged, working right across the system to secure the best possible outcome for Ireland," he added.

"First, we have been engaging closely with like-minded countries that share our concerns. Second, we have been working constructively to secure additional safeguards that would address the very real concerns of our citizens, particularly in relation to standards, fairness, and protections," Minister Harris added.

"This is what responsible government looks like. We must be able to hold a firm position while also doing the hard work of negotiation," he said.

The Tánaiste said that, while the EU has put forward a number of measures to alleviate concerns over the Mercosur deal's impact on Irish agriculture, they have not been enough.

"Experienced governments do not deal in absolutes; they deal in outcomes. Unfortunately, the outcome in this negotiation is that although the EU has agreed to a number of additional measures, they are not sufficient to satisfy our citizens," he said.

"So our position stands. We will vote against the agreement," the Tánaiste confirmed.

'This was always Ireland's position'

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Healy-Rae commented: "This was always Ireland’s position under the Programme for Government. It is not new, and it is not reactionary. The Government has been clear and consistent in its opposition to Mercosur in its current form.

"I have seen the enormous work Martin Heydon has put in month after month over the past year, engaging with his EU counterparts and trying to maintain a blocking group. Ultimately, however, we can only be responsible for ourselves as a country and Ireland must, and will always, stand by its farmers," he added.

Minister Healy-Rae said that the agreement is a bad deal for the EU and a particularly bad deal for Ireland's agriculture-based economy.

"Irish farmers operate to the highest standards in the world. Any deal that undercuts those standards or exposes farmers to unfair competition is simply not acceptable," he said.

With the European Parliament set to vote on the Mercosur trade deal in the coming weeks, the minister urged Irish MEPs to also oppose the deal.