By Megan O’Brien
Farmers in Ireland are already under increasing pressure every year and the Mercosur Trade Deal will have serious consequences for them if it is accepted, one farmer who runs a suckler beef enterprise has warned on the eve of the General Election.
Paul McDonald from Co. Laois, runs a suckler to beef enterprise and manages a small flock of sheep as well as some tillage area.
McDonald said his chief concern is the Mercosur deal, which is set to be negotiated further over the coming months. If accepted, it would allow an additional 99,000t of beef from the South American trading bloc to enter the EU tariff free.
He said the beef sector is becoming unviable and unprofitable, and that if the deal was accepted, things would get much worse for farmers, who could not compete with the “cheaply produced, environmentally unfriendly produce”.
Beef farmers
McDonald said: “Irish and EU farmers are probably the highest standard bearers as regards environmentally safe food.
“The food coming in is of a much lower standard. The hormones that they [South American farmers] can give their cattle, we aren’t allowed to use.
“Farmers are already under pressure here every year, and now they’re bringing in low standard food.”
In its 2024 General Election Manifesto, Fine Gael’s states that it “will ensure free trade agreements serve Irish farmers” and that it believes the deal “as currently drafted is not acceptable”.
However, it is still unclear exactly what type of deal the party would agree to or what the impact could be on farmers, like McDonald and his suckler beef enterprise.
There is no mention of the trade deal in Fianna Fáil’s manifesto, while Sinn Féin’s document states that the party stands against the proposed deal as it “would put both our farmers and our environment in a weaker and more vulnerable position if passed”.
Farm leaders from across the EU including president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Francie Gorman have been holding discussions on the deal in Brussels this week. The IFA is also set to meet its French counterpart FNSEA to discuss their shared opposition to the deal.
Gorman has stated that if the deal is allowed to pass, it will render any commitment from Irish political parties to support the beef sector “meaningless”.
“The Irish beef sector accounted for €2.7 billion of our food exports last year. With 100,000 beef farmers, it is the largest farming sector in the country and has an economic impact in every parish in rural Ireland,” he said.
Payment changes
Ahead of the general election, Agriland has been asking farmers around the country what issues they would like the incoming government to urgently address.
McDonald said an improvement in attitude and a willingness to listen to rural Ireland is the most important thing.
“It’s not a change of government, it’s a change of mindset that we’re looking for. It’s to support farmers,” he said.
McDonald also called for funding improvements, including a €300 per suckler cow payment and a €100 beef finishing payment, stating that these would help bring people into the industry and ensure the country continues to produce high quality, grass fed beef.
Looking forward to the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), he would like to see strong support during negotiations, particularly in relation to the level of climate action that farmers are being asked to take.
“There are a lot of environmental issues coming and there’s no problem with that, it’s the extra money that we need in CAP for producing top standard food, carbon efficient food and environmentally friendly food,” said McDonald.