The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman said now is the time for the Irish government to "stand up" for farmers on the EU-Mercosur trade deal.

The European Commission will today (Wednesday, September 3) propose the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA) for adoption.

The proposed deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, signed in December, would create the world's biggest free trade zone, including over 700 million consumers.

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

It is understood that the EU Commission will later outline that the deal includes safeguards to protect sensitive products, including beef.

The Irish government is opposed to the EU-Mercosur trade deal in its current form and previously vowed to "work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers".

IFA president Francie Gorman said there has been "plenty of assurances about the government’s opposition to the Mercosur deal, but it has to deliver".

"We cannot countenance a deal that refuses to recognise the gap in standards between the EU and Brazil,” he said.

Gorman added that "beef and poultry producers should not have to pay the price of allowing other sectors gain access to the South American market".

"Either standards count for something, or they don’t.

"There is also a role for our MEPs to build alliances with colleagues to mount a blocking vote to the deal,” he added.

The IFA president also said the overall approach to trade issues by the EU Commission has to be questioned.

“Even with improved prices over the last 12 months, the incomes of beef producers are very modest.

"It’s both hypocritical and contradictory to insist on the highest standards for European producers only to allow Mercosur countries access without reaching the same standards," he said.

Gorman described this is a "watershed moment for farmers and the EU".

“Trust in how decisions are reached at EU level will be undermined if a deal like this is pushed through by the commission," he said.

Meanwhile, Copa-Cogeca believes the push to ratify the EU-Mercosur deal will "further deepen the gap between farming communities and the European Commission".

The European umbrella organisation representing farmers and agricultural cooperatives said the commission is taking advantage of "what it considers to be ‘favourable timing’ in Brussels".

There has been renewed focus on ratifying the deal in recent times as US President Donald Trump unveiled a suite of tariffs on countries across the world.

"The prospect of putting forward for ratification by the European Parliament and Council an agreement that has not evolved in substance, and through a procedure that amounts to a political push-through, is deeply damaging and sends yet another negative signal at the start of this new political season," Copa-Cogeca said.

The organisation urged EU commissioners to "fully consider the multiple impacts that such a ratification would entail".

"Contrary to the prevailing thinking in the Berlaymont, we believe that the EU Mercosur agreement has never been so economically and politically damaging for Europe’s farmers, rural communities, and consumers," it said.