Farm organisations have welcomed confirmation that the Government will not support the Mercosur trade agreement at a crucial vote on the deal on Friday.

Irish Farmers Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman said the Government voting no to the Mercosur deal is the right decision.

“There’s a clear commitment in the Programme for Government that our Government would oppose the deal. The so-called safeguards put forward by the [European] Commission do not give any assurances that Brazilian beef will meet EU standards,” he said.

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“In our discussions with members of Government over the last 48 hours, we restated that opposition to the Mercosur deal was the only credible position the Government could adopt. Farmers would have felt let down by any other approach,” he said.

Gorman added that the IFA’s campaign opposing Mercosur will continue after Friday's meeting of the EU ambassadors.

Gorman also referenced Wednesday’s revelation that Brazilian beef containing banned hormones entered the Irish food chain in recent months and is now subject to an official recall by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

“This shows that the undertaking from Brazil about the processes they have in place are completely flawed and wholly ineffective,” he said.

ICMSA reaction

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) also welcomed the Government’s decision to vote no to the deal.

ICMSA president Denis Drennan said it was the right decision on both economic and environmental grounds.

“The Government left it very late, but has come down on the right side of what is a head to head between fundamental principles of fairness and consistency and the kind of slippery expediency that seems to be the dominant approach in far too many situations now.

“[The] ICMSA and Irish farmers in general have never been against fair trade; the point is that, as regards food and particularly beef, the agreement with the Mercosur was not and could not be fair.

“We have no way of ensuring that the beef that would be imported into the EU under the agreement would be of the same standards of traceability and environmentally sustainable production that the EU insists upon for its own farmers."

Drennan added that Mercosur countries are unable or unwilling to enforce their existing standards and regulations.

“That leaves us with the EU forcing its own farmers to compete against cheaper substandard beef produced off an environmentally destructive system that is the direct opposite of the farming system that has been painstakingly introduced on to EU farms over the last 20 years.

“That was a hypocrisy too far and [the] ICMSA welcomes the Irish Government’s belated recognition of that fact,” he added.

In the event of the deal being voted through by other Member states on Friday, Drennan said the focus must switch to the European Parliament and Ireland should work with MEPs from other member states who share a commitment to basic fairness and consistency to block the deal.

Sinn Féin hits out

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has hit out at the Government, whom she said has failed massively on Mercosur.

“Their job was to stop Mercosur being introduced and they failed utterly in that task. They had multiple opportunities to stop Mercosur - they took none of them and now at the 11th hour they are cynically announcing they will vote against it when it is far too late.

“News that the Irish Government will now vote against the EU-Mercosur trade deal merely exposes their political cynicism and cowardice.

“The Taoiseach and Tánaiste know full well that the deal is already effectively secured at EU level - and that they helped make this happen.

“This sudden conversion is not leadership. It is an attempt to hide the truth - that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael utterly failed to defend Ireland’s interests when it actually mattered.

“They refused to stand firm, refused to build a blocking minority and refused to put their foot down in Brussels.

“Their inaction has paved the way for a deal that will damage Irish farming families, undermine our agri-food sector and weaken consumer protections."

McDonald added that her party has been consistent and clear on Mercosur.

“It is a bad deal for Ireland. It threatens the viability of family farms, it compromises climate and food standards and it opens the door to low-standard imports that will undercut Irish producers.

“While we raised these concerns again and again, the Government adopted a posture of passivity - watching, waiting and shrugging as the deal moved closer to finalisation.

“To turn around now, at the 11th hour, and pretend to oppose Mercosur is a disgrace. It is a calculated attempt to wash their hands of a mess they helped create,” she added.

MII welcomes decision

Meat Industry Ireland (MII) also welcomed the Government's decision to reject the ratification of Mercosur.

MII director Dale Crammond said that alongside farm organisations, MII beef members remain “extremely frustrated” with the potential ratification of this “flawed” agreement.

“The well-publicised differences in production, sustainability and traceability standards between the EU and the Mercosur region have once again come to light over recent days with the news that Brazilian product that had been treated with illegal substances was subject to a recall here in Ireland,” he said.

“Despite attempts by some to play down the likely economic impact of the deal, MII and its members remain extremely concerned.

“Over the longer term and following the full phase-in of the agreement, the overall beef sector will experience significant shrinkage and, ultimately, processing plant closures cannot be ruled out, with obvious negative consequences for the rural economy across the country,” he said.

Crammond added that if the member state vote on Friday is for Mercosur, it will still need to be ratified by the European Parliament.

“There is still time to ensure that all MEPs fully appreciate the likely impacts of this deal on the EU beef sector. They must reject this deal and force negotiators back to the table to agree a better outcome for the Irish and EU beef sector,” he said.

This comes as ICMSA livestock chair Michael O’Connell called on all meat processors to attend the anti-Mercosur protest in Athlone on Saturday and stand united with farmers “for a change”.

“[The] ICMSA thinks that the factories should be there on Saturday. Without farmers, factories have nothing. There is power in numbers and unity and Saturday is a chance to show just that,” he said.