Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)

Irish farmers produce some of the finest food products in the world, from our well-renowned grass-fed beef and high-quality milk products to our tillage sector produce. Irish farmers are world leaders on animal welfare and food production standards. The farming sector faces many threats, including generational renewal, the loss of the nitrates derogation and farm viability. However, the Mercosur trade deal represents a direct threat to the European export market, which many farm livelihoods depend on.

In 2024, Irish farm product exports to EU countries were valued at almost €5.9 billion and accounted for 35% of all Irish food and drink exports. With Mercosur, this export market is at risk of being flooded with cheaper, poor-quality products from South American countries. As my colleagues have said, the reality is that farmers in South American countries do not face the same strict animal welfare, traceability and environmental standards that Irish farmers face, and now we face the prospect of high-quality Irish produce being replaced by inferior products.

Any Government proposal to support this deal makes a mockery of its own regulations if it is going to allow the importation of beef from countries where there is not even tagging of many cattle, let alone anything else in the form of traceability. The Minister, when he was here, said that he had concerns about the deal, but he still could not say that he was opposed to it or that the Government will reject it. That is cowardly and unacceptable. This is a bad deal for Irish farmers. The Government must not allow Irish farmers to be undercut by South American imports, it must not allow Irish farmers to be sacrificed for the sake of German car manufacturers, and it must not allow the EU to undermine Irish agriculture yet again. Therefore, it is time for it to get off the fence. I call on it to protect Irish agriculture and reject this deal outright.

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