Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I heard the very dismissive comments earlier from the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, concerning Sinn Féin's position on this issue. Our party is for fair trade and trade that is beneficial. Let me be clear about that. However, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, has come out against this deal, as has the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA, and the IFA. The people from the Beef Plan Movement were outside on the streets today, as were environmentalists. Is the Minister going to dismiss all of those people as well?

The Minister can tell us that this deal has not been signed yet and that it is not perfect. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, stated that our current understanding is that all member state parliaments, including this House, will have their say. The problem is that they will have their say but we do not have any control over this deal. All we are getting is a say because the right to put the brakes on a deal like this was signed away in the Lisbon treaty. Those are the facts. We are facing a situation where the interests of the farmers are being whittled away. I want the Minister, Deputy Creed, to tell this House exactly how he intends to police the quality of the Brazilian beef which will be imported into the EU. I am referring to Brazilian beef, which is produced using hormones and chemicals banned in Ireland and across Europe. I am referring to beef which is not tagged and that has no traceability.

I want the Minister to tell this House as well how he is going to manage President Bolsonaro, the far-right leader of Brazil. He has already stated that he intends for Brazil to break away from the Paris Agreement. There are also reports that in Brazil, criminal gangs are going into indigenous areas and clearing native people from their land. That land is then being sold to ranch farmers for beef production. Human rights groups are also reporting that nine indigenous farmers were murdered in April alone during forest clearing of frontier areas. That was all done in the name of profit.

I have heard Fine Gael Ministers speak about reforestation. It is not possible to replant a rainforest. Those habitats cannot be replanted with monocultural forest. Those are the facts of this situation. It is ludicrous to even think that is possible. I do not think that we even need to outline the sort of conditions that workers face in Brazil. Does the Minister have any idea what the working conditions are like in the beef industry in Brazil? Does he have any idea what the conditions are like at the moment for these people?

6 o’clock

We are asking the Government to protect the beef sector, the economy and the environment and not to create more climate chaos. We have declared a climate emergency. The Joint Committee on Climate Action has brought a report to the Minister and the Government has produced a plan, which is a major step forward, though we might have some criticisms. We cannot then get involved in this type of deal. We know that Commissioner Hogan envisages this happening very quickly because of the remarks quoted earlier. He has said that in the right circumstances we could have a deal quite soon. That is how he sees it. He is in the powerful position of being an EU Commissioner, one of the people who will make the call on this.

We know the damage this will cause to rural Ireland and to farmers. The IFA, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association, ICSA, and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, are very clear on this, as are the members of the Beef Plan Movement who were outside here today. We in Sinn Féin are clear on the damage this will cause. We are asking the Government to take a stand and do the right thing.

Under previous Governments the sugar beet industry was sold out. I know the effects of the loss of the sugar beet industry on the part of the country I come from and what happened to people in the midlands when it was sold out by a previous Fianna Fáil Government as part of a trade deal. Will the Government allow the same thing to happen to the beef industry? That is the question for the two Ministers present. Will Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance allow that to happen? Will they rein Commissioner Hogan in? Will they stop the selling out of the beef sector and ensure the same does not happen to it as happened to the sugar beet industry?

Our motion is simple. It calls on the Government to "vote accordingly at the European Council and the Council of Ministers and consider this motion as binding on this and future Governments; and immediately begin building a coalition across the EU to ensure that this deal is rejected".

It also calls on the Government to ensure that Ireland’s interests are put to the fore in all engagements in the future. That is what we are doing.

See this speech in context