Meat Industry Ireland (MII,) the lobby group for the country’s meat processors, has urged the EU to sign the EU-Canada trade agreement (CETA), which remains held up by Belgian opposition.

“While we always urge strict caution on the EU’s approach to tariff-reduced or tariff-free meat import access as part of trade agreements, we support the ratification of the trade agreement between the EU and Canada and believe that EU trade ministers, at their meeting in Brussels on 18 October, should approve the signing of the agreement with Canada,” a spokesman for MII said.

Impact on farming

Should CETA be realised, the EU will look to grant total duty-free access to 50,000t carcase weight equivalent (CWE) of Canadian fresh and frozen beef. The total duty-free access the EU will grant to Canada for pork is 75,000t CWE. The EU beef and sheep meat market access into Canada will be fully liberalised at zero in-quota rates.

On dairying, Canada will have duty-free access into the EU dairy market. For the EU, there will be a high-value cheese quota of 16,800t, with provision to allow newcomers, including Ireland and other member states, 30% access to the new quota.

Irish MEPs Matt Carthy of Sinn Féin and Independent Luke 'Ming' Flanagan have staunchly opposed CETA thus far.

Meanwhile, hundreds of farmers protested over CETA in Warsaw, Poland, last week, asking the Polish government to oppose the trade.

Uncertainty over CETA

Irish beef processors want Canada trade deal

Ahead of a major decision on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) trade deal between the EU and Canada, Ireland's meat processors have urged officials to sign the deal.