The European Commission is to send a “special mission” to Ireland early next year to “engage directly” with farming organisations on their concerns with the EU-Mercosur free trade deal signed earlier this month.

The meeting was secured by Minister for Enterprise and Trade Peter Burke after meeting European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic in Brussels.

Minister Burke stated that “concerns over the new Mercosur trade deal” topped the agenda of this meeting, but that the final ratification of the agreement is still some time off.

The enterprise minister said that his concerns with the deal centre on “possible unintended consequences” for the farming community and for sustainability.

'No final decision'

“While no final decision on adoption is imminent, I believe that all stakeholders - and the farming community in particular - need to be fully informed of all aspects of the proposed future trade arrangements with the Mercosur bloc,” Minister Burke commented.

“Throughout the negotiations on this agreement, the Commission has been made aware of Ireland’s key requirements in relation to the trade and sustainability commitments in the agreement.

“Furthermore, we continue to make the Commission aware of our model of farming here, including the practices that farmers have implemented over the last number of decades and the sustainability measures which are now the bedrock of Irish farming.”

Minister Burke said that the EU must expect the same high standards from imports as are upheld by farmers domestically.

The minister added that he is confident the Commission special mission to Ireland “will help ensure an informed understanding for all sides of the consequences of the new Mercosur agreement text”.