Unity among Irish farm orgs strengthens ahead of Mercosur protest
The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association (INHFA) has joined the list of farm organisations encouraging members and all farmers to attend the Mercosur protest which will be held in Athlone, Co. Westmeath this coming Saturday (January 10).
INHFA president Pheilim Molloy stressed the need for farmers to make every effort to attend “as we need to send a strong message to our government and our MEPs that this deal is unacceptable".
The INHFA has expressed deep concern and outright opposition to the proposed EU-Mercosur Trade Deal.
The hill farmers group has said that the deal represents a serious and immediate threat to the Irish beef industry — and in particular to suckler farmers who continue to produce a world-class, grass-fed premium product under some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world.
"If ratified, the Mercosur deal will open the European market to large volumes of beef produced in countries where environmental, animal welfare, and traceability standards fall far short of those required of Irish and EU farmers," Molloy said.
"This will effectively force our suckler farmers to compete on an uneven playing field, one where their commitment to quality, sustainability, and regulation is punished rather than rewarded.”
The INHFA leader has also taken issue with the proposed safeguards and protections that the European Commission said will be built into the deal.
Molloy detailed how the analysis the organisation has conducted indicates that these safeguards are quite weak, will be difficult to implement, and ultimately unenforceable.
"The policing mechanisms in Mercosur countries are not sufficiently robust to ensure that imported beef meets the standards demanded of EU producers and to pretend otherwise is to mislead both farmers and consumers.
"Let us be clear - Irish beef farmers are being used as a sacrificial pawn in a much bigger geopolitical chess game and while some sectors may benefit from increased export, it is the Irish suckler farmer - the backbone of our rural economy and custodian of our landscapes that will pay the price.”
The INHFA president has called on all Irish politicians and political parties, regardless of affiliation, to stand up and be counted and also encouraged farmers and all those in rural Ireland to travel to Athlone to make their voices heard.
ICSA
The INHFA is being joined by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) which is yet another farm organisation to lend its support to Saturday's protest in Athlone.
ICSA president Sean McNamara said: "This protest is about unity. It is about farmers from all sectors and everyone who cares about fair trade, food safety, and rural Ireland coming together to say clearly that farming cannot be sacrificed to suit trade deals.
"Irish farmers are swamped with rules, inspections, and huge costs to produce food to EU standards, yet the commission is prepared to allow in beef and poultry produced in ways that would be illegal here.
"On top of that, Irish farmers are continuously lectured on environmental responsibility and expected to carry the bulk of the work on climate action, while these imports will continue to be produced at the expense of South American rainforests.
"That is the reality of this deal, and the level of hypocrisy is staggering.”
The ICSA has said that the upcoming protest in Athlone is about "drawing a line in the sand" and urged anyone who cares about farming or food to attend and make their voices heard.
The start of the protest will gather at Monksland, Athlone for 11:00a.m on Saturday.
