Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Much has been made of rule of law breaches and potential sanctions for Hungary and Poland.

These breaches of the rule of law were brought about through two primary methods. One was to circumvent and hollow out democratic debate. Parliamentary majorities were used to ensure that debate was stymied and that issues were not properly debated. The second method was to appoint cronies as judges. On the first point, I will return to the issue that 55 minutes was given to this Parliament to debate the ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA. That has now been pulled to spare the blushes of the Green Party. I hope we will have a proper debate next time and the Green Party will not sell out its principles for another cycle path somewhere. Cycle paths are important but some elements of CETA are deeply problematic. Yesterday, I heard the Taoiseach babbling about Seán Lemass, a man I greatly admire. I use the word "babbling" because he equated Seán Lemass's favouring of multilateralism with what is happening with CETA. CETA is not about the pooling of sovereignty between member states but about the dilution of state sovereignty by corporate power, particularly through the investment court system envisaged in the agreement.

I also oppose CETA because it envisages the importation of beef from Canada into the European Union. Canada, of course, does not outlaw the hormone treatment of cattle. While it is clear under the agreement that beef imported must be hormone-free, how does one ascertain whether hormones were administered to 30-month-old steers when they were calves of just a couple of weeks old? It is simply not possible.

The Mercosur agreement must also be dealt with. We have seen leaks from EU diplomats to the effect that we need assurances from South American states, and Brazil in particular, that the price of producing cheap beef will not be the destruction of Amazonian jungle or rainforest, because that is what is happening. As we risk losing some of our market in Britain as it gains the ability to conclude free trade agreements with other countries, there will be pressure on our beef sector. I am certainly opposed to the import of beef from South America or Canada into Europe at this time because it will put further pressure on European farmers, and Irish farmers in particular.

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