George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)

We have to ask this question: how can we preach sustainability at home while rewarding destruction abroad? The safeguards are flimsy. Promises of review mechanisms and compensation funds sound reassuring but they often arrive too late after farms have become unsustainable and families, trying to survive and diversify, have left the land. Farmers fear, rightly so, that by the time Brussels acts, the damage will be irreversible. Do we want to be the ones to explain to the next generation why we stood by and watched rural Ireland collapse? The economic argument is uneven. Yes, the EU may gain billions of euro in industrial exports, but Ireland’s rural economy will bear the brunt of the cost. Is it fair to sacrifice the backbone of our country for marginal gains elsewhere?

We have also heard the voices of the farming community, many of whom are here today. Declan Hanrahan, chair of the IFA livestock committee, warns that the Mercosur trade deal, as it stands, will destroy Irish and European beef farming and that there are no effective safeguards for farmers, markets or the environment. Seán McNamara of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association stated that it is "a disaster for Irish suckler and beef farmers" and that if it goes ahead, "it will devastate rural communities across Ireland". The IFA president, Francie Gorman, reminds us:

Either standards count for something, or they don’t.

[...]

It’s both hypocritical ... to insist on the highest standards for European producers to allow Mercosur countries access without reaching the same standards.

These are not abstract warnings. Rather, they are the informed opinions from the fields and farmyards of Ireland.

I am aware that the Government has rightly raised concerns about climate, biodiversity and farm incomes, but words are not enough. We must lead the charge for enforceable standards, rapid safeguards and a fair deal that does not sacrifice rural Ireland on the altar of global trade. It is essential that we, as a nation, stand firm and demand binding commitments on animal welfare, pesticide use and deforestation; push for safeguard mechanisms that protect farmers before - not after - the damage is done; work with like-minded EU states to defend agriculture and sustainability; and tell the public what is at stake here, namely, jobs, communities and the integrity of our food system.

If the Minister were here, he would know this is a moment of truth. The Mercosur deal is more than a trade agreement; it is a test of all our values. Will we stand with the families who fed this nation for generations? Will we defend the green fields that define us? Will we stand firmly with our commitments to the planet and to battle climate change? Will we seek to ensure that the rights of workers, hard fought for in Europe, are enjoyed by the workers of Mercosur, or will we turn our backs on all of this for short-term gains? Ireland simply must stand firm. We must fight for fairness, sustainability and the future of rural Ireland. Let us not be the generation of politicians who sold out our farming community, turned our backs on global workers’ rights and supported a two-tier climate change agenda.

Let us be the generation that stood up and said Ireland will not trade away its soul or dilute its position on issues that have a negative impact on the rights of workers, the planet, on climate change and on farm incomes right across this island.

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