Mullooly warns Mercosur will ‘destroy’ Irish beef incomes

Midlands-North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly has called on the Minister for Agriculture Martin Hayden to reject the so-called Mercosur “safety clause” proposals, describing them as wholly inadequate and completely unacceptable.

The Minister for Agriculture Martin Hayden has been asked to travel to Rome today (Tuesday) for urgent crucial discussions with his Italian counterpart ahead of another attempt by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to force a vote on the controversial EU Mercosur trade deal.

This latest move by the European Commission comes three days ahead of a major national community protest against Mercosur on Saturday, January 10 in Athlone, with up to 10,000 people now expected to attend.

The Independent Ireland MEP said he has spoken in the last 24 hours to farming representative groups in Italy and around Europe and commented that, the new proposals do nothing to address the severe income losses Irish beef farmers and their European counterparts will suffer if the Mercosur trade agreement is signed off by the Irish Minister for Agriculture at EU level on Wednesday.

“I have discussed the urgent need for the Irish Government to oppose this latest attempt to circumvent the view of the majority of farmers in Europe with my colleague Michael Fitzmaurice TD and Michael is making Minister Hayden directly aware of what he needs to do now, to keep the Italian government in opposition to Mercosur.

"We will have all of the pain and none of the gain from Mercosur. This agreement, if it is signed, will be done in the full and certain knowledge that Irish beef farmers’ incomes will be destroyed," MEP Mullooly said.

Mr Mullooly warned that serious and unresolved questions remain about how the European Commission intends to protect European consumers from hormone-treated beef and the widespread misuse of antibiotics across Mercosur countries.

“There has been little or no substantive change to the Mercosur–EU trade agreement.

“No Irish Minister can ever contemplate signing up to a deal that would amount to a complete betrayal of Irish agriculture, Irish beef farmers, and the exceptionally high standards they are required to meet," the MEP added.

He concluded by calling directly on the Minister for Agriculture to meet with the Italian Minister for Agriculture urging him to vote 'No', stating that neither Italy nor Ireland must be pressured into endorsing a deeply flawed agreement that undermines farm incomes, compromises food safety, and threatens the future viability of Irish agriculture.

"The protest will go ahead regardless of what happens in Brussels this week as the controversial Mercosur trade agreement must cross two hurdles before it is approved or rejected by European Member states and MEPs," the MEP concluded.

Several weeks remain before the European Parliament will make its final vote on the issue.