Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It was clear to anyone who listened to last night's debate and question-and-answer session on this issue that the Government is determined to press ahead with the proposed deal. This is disappointing for the thousands of farmers who are protesting outside the gates of Leinster House today. They feel their livelihoods are under threat because the Government is working in co-operation with large corporate interests across Europe, such as BMW and Mercedes, that want to be able to sell their products in Latin America in exchange for allowing more beef to come from Latin America into Europe. Even though a tariff has to be paid on the beef that is coming from Latin America to Europe, they can still sell it at a lower price than the price for which Irish farmers can produce and sell their beef. When this trade deal comes in and the tariff is reduced to practically nothing, they will not have a chance. That is the reality for Irish farmers such as those who are in the Gallery this afternoon. They want a fair deal. The Government speaks about fair trade deals and free trade deals, but all our farmers want is fair play.

When I spoke recently to someone who has worked on a farm in Latin America, I was told that every couple of months, the 15,000 cattle on the farm would be rounded up and the fat ones would be picked out, tagged and sent off to the factories. Prior to that, there was no tagging and no traceability. At the moment, less than 1% of farms in Brazil are certified as being free of TB. What situation would we have in Ireland if that were the case here? When animals go down with TB and are locked up, farmers come into our clinics to tell us about the problems they encounter. Even though TB is rampant in the Mercosur countries, we think it is appropriate to put the farmers in those countries on the same scale as Irish farmers who are struggling to survive.

The truth of the matter is that Europe has decided it wants to have a free trade deal with the Mercosur countries so that it can do business on the big field. Irish farmers, Irish agriculture and European agriculture are being put on the back foot and sacrificed. The Minister, Deputy Creed, said that the provisions with regard to beef are the sweetener in the deal. At a time we are talking about global warming and climate change, it is very poor form that Irish farmers are being used to sweeten a deal that will allow the owners of BMW and Mercedes to sell their vehicles, which are probably going to be phased out in Europe in the coming years, in South America. We expect to get support from everyone in the House, including Government Deputies, for our motion. We hope this will happen. It is time for the Government to take a stand by saying to its partners in Europe and to the Commission that the proposed deal is not acceptable. The world has changed in recent years. This Parliament has declared a climate change emergency. The EU intends to do a deal with Latin America, where rainforests are being cut down and untraceable and disease-ridden beef is being produced.

We have to make a stand for ordinary people. I am talking not only about farmers but also about ordinary people around the world who want and expect to get fair play, which is all this is about. If Irish farmers get fair play, they will accept that. They will accept standards in other countries if they have to meet the same standards. Irish farmers are not unreasonable and have never been. The truth of the matter is that there is no possibility of the Mercosur countries going in this direction. I know the Minister has said that a big part of this agreement involves putting pressure on the Mercosur countries to come up to our standards. They are so far behind our standards that it would probably take them two generations to catch up. Their model of farming is totally alien to the model of farming in Ireland and other countries. We are asking the Minister to support this motion, withdraw the Government amendment, which basically waters our motion down to nothing, and accept that Irish farmers and European consumers deserve better than this kind of trade deal.

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