Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Lessons are there to be learned from the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, for example. The Government's own economic and sustainability impact assessment on it has resulted in its opposition to that deal. It found it would cost Irish beef farmers €55 million annually as the market would be diluted by another 53,000 tonnes of an increase.

Furthermore, the European Ombudsman accused the EU of maladministration precisely because it did not base the trade negotiations on an assessment of the socioeconomic and environmental impact. This only adds to the case for a similar assessment to be carried out on the EU-New Zealand deal. Will the Minister of State commit to this?

Now that the Government is opposed to the Mercosur deal, why has there been a delay in communicating this to the European Commission? Has the Government notified the Commission of this opposition yet and, if not, will the Minister of State tell this House when the Government intends to do so?

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