There has been a widespread welcome to the news that Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and the Leader in Cabinet of the Independents, Minister Seán Canney have formally agreed at a meeting today that the position of the Irish Government will be to vote no on the proposed EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

Major concerns for all three leaders are cited as food safety, agricultural standards and the sustainability of Irish farming.

Despite the EU agreeing to a number of additional measures, these were not considered sufficient to protect Irish farmers and consumers.

The coalition parties have stated that they will stand by the Programme for Government commitment to oppose the deal.

“As Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, I made it clear that a YES vote, or an abstention, was not acceptable and would undermine Irish farmers and our Programme for Government commitments,” Minister Canney said.

“We have been in ongoing engagement with the president of the IFA [Irish Farmers’ Association], other farming organisations and representatives of the beef processing sector.

“Those discussions reinforced our view that Mercosur is a bad deal for Irish beef producers and would seriously damage a sector that is vital to rural communities and the wider economy.”

Meanwhile, the Irish Livestock Exporters’ Association has stated that it strongly opposes the upcoming EU vote on the Mercosur Trade Deal, urging all Irish representatives to maintain firm resistance.

“This deal poses a serious threat to Ireland’s farming sector, undermining both our exporters and rural communities,” the association has stated.

“We welcome the government’s recent decision to vote no, a long overdue recognition of the damage this agreement would inflict.

“For decades, Irish farmers and exporters have been ignored and let down by successive governments, TDs, and MEPs on critical issues – Mercosur being a prime example.

While we appreciate the renewed political interest in securing a no vote, it must be noted that our concerns have been repeatedly dismissed since 2019. Irish agriculture deserves consistent advocacy, not last-minute action.”

‘Strategic political retreat’

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has said while she welcomes confirmation that Ireland will vote against the deal, there is a growing impression that this is more of a “strategic political retreat in the face of government infighting rather than principled support” for the concerns that farmers have.

Deputy Nolan said: “Government wants us to believe that at the 11^th hour, a spine has finally been located in government buildings.

“What I and many others see however is that definitive official opposition to this deal only came about once fissures within the government formation finally became public.

“Up until this point, government was clearly talking out of both sides of its mouth in the hope that farmer opposition might peter out once talk of ‘safeguards’ took centre stage.

“That is why this no vote looks more like avoiding political mutiny rather than endorsing the massive and sustained opposition to Mercosur,” she added.

However the independent TD acknowledged that a declaration of opposition is better than a decision to ratify the deal.

Farm organisations

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara welcomed the decision that Ireland will vote no at tomorrow’s meeting of the European Council.

“This is the right decision, but it should have been made clear long before today. The dangers of this deal have been obvious for years,” he said.

“It is completely unacceptable to demand world-leading standards from Irish farmers while importing food produced to weaker rules. That is not fair trade, it’s pure hypocrisy.

“Mercosur is about forcing Irish and European farmers to compete with beef produced to lower standards, lower costs and weaker controls.

“No amount of so-called safeguards can ever change that reality. You cannot protect farmers from financial devastation while opening the door to large volumes of cheap beef produced under rules that would land you in jail here.

“Once prices collapse, no safeguard can put family farms back together again,” he said.

The ICSA has said that once tomorrow’s vote at the EU Council is complete, the process will move to the European Parliament in the coming weeks.

The association is urging every Irish MEP to reject the deal and rally the necessary opposition within their parliamentary groupings.

Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that the decision by the government to oppose the Mercosur EU deal is the right one.

“There’s a clear commitment in the Programme for Government that our government would oppose the deal. The so-called safeguards put forward by the EU Commission do not give any assurances that Brazilian beef will meet EU standards,” IFA president Francie Gorman said.

“Farmers would have felt let down by any other approach.”

‘Strategic political retreat’

Farm organisations

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Minister Sean Canney

Broad welcome for government decision to reject Mercosur trade deal