The EU Commission must reject any further allowances for the importation of beef in the proposed Mercosur deal, Macra na Feirme president Thomas Duffy said on Wednesday.

“Farm and environmental organisations are agreed on this topic. Beef from places such as Brazil is by most estimates four times higher than Irish beef a carbon footprint per kg,” Duffy said.

Importing beef with a higher carbon footprint, lack of traceability and lower animal welfare standards would “make a mockery” of European farming legislation and commitments on climate change, he said.

“Recent comments by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the wake of the European election must be reflected in a clear message of rejection of any sell out of Irish beef farmers with lower sustainability and lower traceability imports. The clear lack of regard for environmental concerns in countries such as Brazil is illustrated by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro plans to reduce protections for the Amazon.”

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Environmental concerns around beef from South America must be addressed in Mercosur negotiations, Macra has said.