Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It is ironic that, in the same week there has been commentary regarding the re-appointment of Phil Hogan as EU Commissioner for agriculture, we are here again discussing the trade deal which will have such a dramatic impact on Ireland and Irish food producers.

Last week, Commissioner Hogan wrote to TheIrish Times and said that concerns about the Mercosur deal were overblown, inaccurate and disingenuous. I wonder how the farmers outside the gates of Leinster House feel about their concerns being described as overblown and disingenuous by the Commissioner. He wanted to point out that the central tenet of the Mercosur deal is that trade should not happen at the expense of the environment and labour conditions, yet all of the evidence points to the contrary. We know that the EU recently had to impose a temporary halt on Brazilian meat imports from certain plants as a result of revelations regarding contaminated meat and a culture of lax regulation, including bribery of key agricultural officials to turn a blind eye to poor hygiene, atrocious labour conditions and a disregard for environmental concerns.

Ireland has passed a climate emergency motion. This is a time when climate protesters throughout Europe are making their voices heard. People know we are on the climate precipice and significant action is required if we are to offset some of the damage already inflicted. In the absence of proper commitments to environmental sustainability from the US and China, it is the role of the EU to take a leadership role on the sustainable agenda.

Beef farmers are in the spotlight at the moment but the poultry industry would also be significantly impacted by the Mercosur deal. There are concerns about chlorinated chicken coming through the back door if there is no Border post Brexit. This deal would mean that some of the meat produced to that standard would be coming through the front door. Producing food to a high standard costs money. If others are producing low-quality food at a reduced cost, it is obvious that it will impact the overall standards and quality available in the food sector generally.

It is important that Ireland does trade deals and benefits from them but the standards must be such that we do not trade ourselves out of an industry. There is no doubt that we must create a more sustainable farming sector and that has to be done by working with the sector. Brexit is obviously a huge risk to the sector and this deal is a challenge too far. The Social Democrats will be supporting this Sinn Féin motion.

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