Irish farmers should not be forced to compete with farmers in other countries who are subject to much lower health and environmental standards
The outgoing government parties are sleepwalking the country into ratification of the Mercosur deal – which would be disastrous for both agriculture and the environment, according to Social Democrats Climate Spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.
“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has today concluded negotiations for the Mercosur deal, despite trenchant opposition to the deal from a number of member states.
“This deal would be a disaster for Irish agriculture, with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of South American beef flooding the EU market. Given Irish farmers export 90 percent of their beef, this will have an immediate negative impact on farmers.
“Put simply, Irish and European farmers should not be forced to compete with farmers in other countries who are subject to much lower health and environmental standards.
“This is not just a concern for farmers – but for consumers across the EU, who want to be assured the produce they are buying is of high quality with clear traceability.
“We must increase the sustainability of Irish farming – and Irish farmers are doing that work – but the answer is not to replace Irish beef with imports from halfway around the world that are even more environmentally problematic.
“As regards the climate concerns of this deal, there are fears that it could lead to an accelerated deforestation of the Amazon, which would be catastrophic for global efforts to significantly reduce emissions.
“The environmental safeguards in the deal are simply not sufficient and ratification of it, in its current format, could spell disaster for efforts to address climate change.
“Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have stated they are opposed to the deal, but Micheál Martin and Simon Harris have been notably silent on the latest developments. They are sleepwalking us into ratification of this deal.
“It is now time for them, as a matter of urgency, to write to the European Commission to outline Ireland’s opposition to this deal being finalised in the face of opposition from this county and other member states.”