George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement is not just another obscure policy; it is a crossroads. On the one hand, there is an opportunity for some sectors. On the other hand, there is the potential for real and lasting harm to the communities that have sustained this country for generations. We simply must tread carefully because the stakes could not be higher for counties such as my own, Wexford. This agreement would open the door to 99,000 tonnes of South American beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry entering the EU at reduced tariffs. For Ireland, a nation where beef farming is more than an industry but a heritage, this is seismic. Our beef exports are worth almost €3 billion annually. Even a small drop in price could be existential for family farms that have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. They are not just numbers or statistics but, rather, they are livelihoods, traditions and, in the potentially affected communities, the heart of rural Ireland.

First, as a quality, food-producing country, we know only too well that standards matter. Irish farmers uphold some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world. Mercosur countries, by contrast, have weaker enforcement and troubling records on deforestation and pesticide use. If we allow imports produced under lower standards, we undermine our farmers and betray our climate commitments.

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