Tipperary farming: Angry reaction to EU’s Mercosur deal on beef

Farming reaction to the proposed Mercosur deal has been as swift as it has been harsh.

The deal, agreed between the EU and South American countries at the weekend will see around 99,000 tonnes of bef coming into the European markets in return for a deal in other trade seectors.

However, the IFA and ICSA have both condemned the deal.

IFA president Joe Healy said EU negotiators had colluded in a deal that had sold out Irish and European farmers.

“This is a bad deal for Ireland and for Irish farmers. It’s a bad deal for the environment and it’s a bad deal for EU standards and consumers,” he said.

Mr Healy called on the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, ,to make it clear to Brussels that Ireland will not ratify the deal.

“While Commissioner Hogan has done much good work, when he looks back on his five-year term, he will have to consider this Commission sell-out as a low point,” said the IFA leader.

The “turning a blind eye” approach to double standards and environmental degradation in Brazil was indefensible, he aid.

Mr Healy said that the deal made a mockery of the pledge that the EU Commission signed when it took up office in 2014 to uphold EU legislation.

He said that the deal represented a backroom deal for the likes of Mercedes and BMW to get cars into South America.

“It is a disgraceful and feeble sell out of a large part of our most valuable beef market to Latin American ranchers and factory farm units,” he said.

Irish and European farmers adhered to the highest standards on traceability, animal welfare, food safety and the environment. Farmers in Brazil did not, said Mr Healy.

“Yet our Government and the EU Commission waved the white flag and disregarded what consumers expect from their farmers,” he said.

IFA National Livestock Chairman Angus Woods pointed that Ireland’s €3bn beef sector was much more important to Ireland than any other EU member state and Ireland cannot allow our vital national interest in beef to be ruined by Brazilian beef imports.

He said the EU Commission Joint Research Centre had calculated the impact of trade deals on the EU beef sector, including Mercosur, would cost be up to €7bn pa.

Meanwhile, newly-elected ICSA president Edmond Phelan condemned the deal as “an absolute disgrace”, saying it completely undermined the EU’s moral authority to lead on climate change.”

“Let there be no doubt, a calculated decision has been made by European leaders to increase car sales, mainly petrol and diesel, at the price of sacrificing the EU beef farmer,” he said.

Mr Phelan, who was only chosen as ICSA president last week, said that the Irish beef sector, with 90% exported to EU markets, will take the full brunt of this “outrageous decision”.

“It beggars belief that more rain forest will be cut down to facilitate Brazilian beef expansion while sustainable EU beef systems will be made completely unviable. At a time when Brexit is already damaging the Irish beef sector, this deal is a complete betrayal of Irish cattle farmers,” said Mr Phelan.

He asked what was the point of farmers planting trees in Ireland when trees were being cut down in South American and massive quantities of fuel will be burnt to ship cheap, lower standard Brazilian beef to a market which was already fully supplied.

“ICSA will be demanding that the Oireachtas is given its say on this and that every single Irish politician stands up for our interests,” he aid.

Mr Phelan said that the deal had nothing in it for Ireland.

“Consumers will see less and less Irish beef as we abandon any pretence that local, sustainable food matters and we become more and more dependent on South America.

“It’s not just beef. The deal also will see more chicken from South America,” he said.

The ICSA president said that the Government must stand up for Irish farmers.

“There is no room for equivocation on this,” he warned.