An Irish MEP is urging for a "coordinated response" to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

MEP Ciaran Mullooly said he has formally written to all Irish members of the European Parliament on this.

Last week, the European Commission put forward its proposal to ratify the EU-Mercosur agreement, officially adopting it.

The deal will require approval from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU before it can be ratified.

Mullooly said it is "extremely difficult to build alliances with MEPs from other member states when Ireland cannot demonstrate unanimity among its own MEPs".

Mullooly has recommended that the Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke and Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon "convene a meeting with all Irish MEPs at the earliest opportunity to outline Ireland’s strategy for opposing the agreement".

He emphasised that, as co-legislators, the European Parliament will be required to approve or reject the agreement in its entirety.

For Ireland, Mullooly stated “there is no up side benefit for the agricultural sector from this agreement, and the potential risks are considerable".

“I can assure you this battle is far from over and I will take every opportunity available to me to try and block this rotten trade deal," Mullooly said.

The Irish government previously said it was opposed to the EU-Mercosur trade deal and vowed to "work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers".

Minister Martin Heydon said the government will examine the commission's proposal in detail "to see if it provides any of the additional assurances required".