Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy speaks of the Mercosur trade agreement as if it were a reality today and we are suffering its consequences; that is not the case and there is quite a period to go before it will become the reality. There is talk about the deal being agreed but there is quite some time to go before a decision will be required by this institution or other member state parliaments or regional assemblies on the Mercosur agreement. It is important that we take the time to do the appropriate assessment of the impact this would have on our agrifood sector, our beef industry in particular and the economy in general. In the context of the assessment that has been mentioned, this is being dealt with primarily by the Department with lead responsibility on trade and its Minister, my colleague, Deputy Heather Humphreys. My Department is also involved.

We also await the final report of the Commission. It is not a question of kicking the matter to an imaginary date the Deputy might consider politically advantageous. It is about taking the appropriate steps. We are not now, nor are we likely to be in 2020 or 2021, anywhere near a decision on the content, which is why it is important that we properly analyse the impact of the transposition of the headline agreement into a legal text in order that we will protect our interests as much as possible.

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