Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The answer to both the Deputies' questions is "Yes" on both accounts. We currently have a political agreement between the EU and Mercosur. It will be about two years before we have a legal text. We will have an opportunity to vote on it but I certainly will not hesitate to vote against any trade agreement that I believe is not in Ireland's economic interest and will form alliances to block it if possible. Whatever happens, we will do everything we can to ensure that the interests of Irish beef farmers are protected. That means making sure that South American beef producers have to meet the same food safety and traceability standards that our farmers do, ensuring that South American countries have to honour their commitments to climate change under the Paris Agreement and compensating farmers for the loss of a market, perhaps by opening up other market opportunities in places such as Japan, Mexico and China. We will do a full economic and environmental assessment on the consequences of the Mercosur deal, recognising the fact that this is a market of 250 million people and while there may be losses for some sectors, there could be significant benefits for others. We need to look at that in the round.

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