Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will happily deal with the issue. I can assure the Deputy that the Taoiseach has made his views on the issue very clearly known. Ireland wants more trade deals put in place, but we have very strong defensive issues, in particular on beef. Any Mercosur deal is very sensitive and the Irish concerns have been very forcefully made by the Taoiseach. We have sought and received support from other countries. The French President has also been very strong on this issue, specifically in respect of concerns from a beef perspective. We have some strong allies. I can assure the Deputy that the concerns he outlined have been expressed very clearly by the Government on a number of levels.

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