Independent Ireland was out in force in Brussels this week for the first of what will likely be many farmer protests over the coming months.

Ciaran Mullooly MEP and Michael Fitzmaurice TD both attended the Copa-Cogeca farmer protest in Brussels on Monday, along with independent MEP Michael McNamara.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at the protest Ciaran Mullooly called on the Irish Government to come out in opposition to the deal.

“We need to win friends in Europe and as a country we need to align ourselves with other countries that are opposing this damaging trade deal,” he said. Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher, while not at the protest, did travel to France to meet Emmanuel Macron where he outlined his concerns for Ireland under the deal.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture, Martin Kenny, has called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to put on record his complete and unequivocal opposition to the Mercosur trade deal. “Farmers want to know exactly what Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin mean by opposing Mercosur ‘in its current form’, given that farmers have been quite clear in demanding a complete opposition to the deal.”

Last week Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly also outlined his concerns with the trade deal and its impact on Irish agriculture and he indicated that he was leaning towards voting against it at the moment.