Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Whitmore for raising this issue. I share her view and her awareness in terms of the anxiety and concern that there is from farmers, climate activists and many people about this Mercosur free trade agreement. I believe we all share the view that free, fair and open trade is something that we in this country support. It is something that we have done well from economically and beyond that. It is an important part of our economic model. We all get that, and recent developments in the global trading environment have highlighted even more so the importance of market diversification, including an expanded set of EU free trade agreements that support more opportunities for exports and investment, help support jobs and growth at home, maintain strict EU standards on food safety, animal and plant health, and support better environmental and human rights standards around the world.

However, we have always been clear that such agreements have to defend our must vulnerable sectors and that farmers' livelihoods must not be undermined through weak or ineffective environmental standards in other countries. Our position is and remains that which was clearly outlined in the programme for Government, which states that the Government will work "with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal.". In our trade negotiations, we have always been guided by standing up for and defending the interests of Irish farmers while also trying to secure enhanced market access opportunities for them and Irish agrifood exports.

Since the Commission announced the conclusion of negotiations, officials from my Department and other Departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, have been working together to carefully analyse the text of the additional legal instrument addressing sustainability commitments. I wish to assure the Deputy that my officials and I have continued to engage at EU level at every opportunity with the European Commission - I had a meeting directly with the trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, on this - and counterparts in EU member states, including like-minded countries. We discussed this recently at a Foreign Affairs Council trade meeting. We did this to voice our concerns with the agreement and to interrogate the outcome of negotiations.

I specifically had a meeting with the French foreign minister, Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, on 14 April that was exclusively on the topic of the Mercosur agreement where we both reiterated our opposition. This engagement is ongoing.

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