Thousands expected at Mercosur protest in Athlone

Organisers are expecting between 5,000 and 10,000 people to gather in Athlone this Saturday for a major national protest rally against the EU's proposed Mercosur trade deal with countries in South America.

The event is being organised by the Independent Ireland political party, and supported by national farming bodies, including the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and others.

If the numbers attending are anything close to what's currently being anticipated, the rally will cause significant traffic disruption in and around Athlone, particularly during the first half of Saturday.

The protest is due to begin at around 11am with a convoy of hundreds of tractors and other large vehicles travelling west to east on the N6 Athlone Relief Road between junction 12 (Roscommon Road) and junction 9 (Garrycastle).

Organisers say that, as a result of the convoy, all east-bound motorway vehicles will have to be diverted into Athlone town centre, at junction 12/13, over several hours on Saturday morning, and will have to travel through town and out onto the old Dublin Road before rejoining the motorway.

Protesters in cars or on foot are being asked to assemble at the Athlone TUS campus at 11am and walk or take a shuttle bus to the N6 junction 9 at Garrycastle, where they would meet the tractor convoy before then marching back to TUS at lunchtime, where speeches are set to begin in the International Arena.

The arena can accommodate some 2,000 people, and Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly said on Monday that there would be an overspill area, outside on the TUS campus, where a big screen would broadcast the speeches live to those who can't be accommodated in the arena.

Mr Mullooly said he and Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice decided to organise the event in response to the "huge outcry out there among people" in relation to the Mercosur deal, which could be ratified by the EU in the coming days.

He said Saturday was about "projecting a united front" in relation to Mercosur, adding it was the first national protest in which in all of the national farming organisations in Ireland were coming together as one to show their opposition to the deal.

In the lead-up to Saturday, the organisers met with Athlone Chamber of Commerce and the Gardai to discuss the logistics of the event.

Mr Mullooly said the idea of a tractor cavalcade travelling through the heart of Athlone town was ruled out early on.

"That's not happening. On safety grounds, and to protect the commerce of the town, we felt it would be inappropriate," he said.

"The proposal now is for the cavalcade to cross the Shannon, leaving junctions 12 and 13 on the west side, the Monksland and Ganly's roundabout junctions, travel across the Shannon on the bypass bridge, and travel up to junction 9, Garrycastle, to join with the public. The people on foot go there.

"So we're telling people that, if you have a vehicle, a tractor-trailer, or you're on a bus, you can go across and be in the cavalcade. If you're coming in just to walk, you come in to junction 8 or 9 and park here (in TUS).

"There are 600 parking spaces in TUS, and there's another 400-500 in Ericsson, huge parking around DPD, and parking in Golden Island if you wanted to park there and walk.

"So we're advising people to come along early, be there for 11 at the latest, to get a parking space and then to walk out to the dual carriageway, to junction 9, where they'll meet the cavalcade.

"One woman told me she's staying in the Athlone Springs with her family on Friday night (in order to attend the protest). We're encouraging people to stay in the town and enjoy the hospitality within the locality."

He said the tractors in the convoy would be dispersing out of the Athlone area from Garrycastle and would not be coming into TUS.

IFA president Francie Gorman urged farmers to take part in the protest rally at the weekend.

"We would strongly encourage farmers to attend next Saturday to convey their opposition to Mercosur. It is a massive issue and we need a united front," he said.

Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice said all other political parties opposed to the Mercosur deal were being invited to the protest on Saturday, and Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon had also been invited.

Asked whether the Minister was likely to attend, Deputy Fitzmaurice said: "That's up to him. (The Government) don't seem to not know which way they're going (on Mercosur).

"They seem to be sitting on the fence, but the trousers can get torn if you sit on the fence too long."

Mr Mullooly said that Mercosur, which could facilitate the introduction of cheaper meat from South America to the European market, would have implications not just for European farmers but for public health.

"Farmers in the Midlands, and in the North and North East, are expecting to continue their livelihood in beef farming, and in white meat, chicken and poultry on the border countries," he said.

"If this goes through, it will have huge implications for them and it will have huge implications for public health, because of the use of antibiotics (in farming) in Brazil."

He said he hoped the protest on Saturday would send a clear indication to the Irish Government and to Europe of the level of opposition here to the Mercosur deal.

"There's 90% opposition to it among the rural communities, and the farming organisations are all coming on Saturday," he said.

"It's also to send a message to the other member States that they must respect the will of the people. The people of Poland protested last week against Mercosur. French farmers were out again (on Monday). Prior to that we've seen protests in Italy, and now we're going to have a major protest in Ireland."

The Midlands North West MEP said food safety was his primary concern in relation to the proposed deal.

"If you you look at the work that's been done by the Farmers Journal, on beef coming from Brazil, they have proven categorically that there are illegal animal growth promoters and carcinogenic drugs being used by farmers there.

"What I say to people is that these are unhealthy, unsafe, and you wouldn't be allowed to use them in Ireland or in Europe in terms of beef. So we can't allow double standards. We cannot allow these dangerous drugs to come into the country."

Athlone Independent Ireland councillor Paul Hogan encouraged local communities on the Westmeath and Roscommon sides of the town to support Saturday's national protest rally.

"The Mercursor deal is a very bad deal for Irish farmers and consumers," said Cllr Hogan. "We have a gold standard in this country in terms of food production. This deal will enable lower standards of food produce, with often unsafe procedures and practices, to be sold in Ireland.

"We, as consumers cannot allow that to happen and we must support our farmers and food producers," he added.