Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)

I welcome this Private Members' motion brought forward by Sinn Féin and confirm my support for it. The Mercosur deal threatens the future of Irish agriculture and family farms and harms rural communities. The European Commission concluded negotiations with the four Mercosur countries, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, in December 2024. The deal was to be subject to approval by national parliaments and unanimity at EU level but in a political stroke, the deal was split into two separate parts, meaning that national parliaments will now have no say in the ratification of the agreement and only a qualified majority will be needed at EU level. The importation of 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry into the EU will have serious detrimental effects on Irish agriculture and these figures are surely only the thin end of the wedge. This is also at odds with EU and domestic climate legislation.

To aid the ratification of the deal, the EU has also delayed the implementation of the deforestation Regulation 2023/1115. Imported agricultural products from Mercosur countries are also often produced using chemicals that have been banned in the EU. An EU audit of 2024 showed that Brazil, for example, cannot reliably trace or guarantee hormone-free beef, yet the agreement will allow exporters to self-certify compliance with EU regulations. Of course, we in this country know where self-certification and light-touch regulations have got us - buildings and apartments non-compliant with fire regulations and the scandal of defective concrete.

The bilateral safeguard proposed by the EU only applies for a transitional period of 12 years and the weakness of the system, when it comes to protecting Irish farmers, is very clear. The triggering mechanism for the bilateral safeguard does not apply to situations of risk to public health, environmental destruction or indigenous dispossession. The Mercosur trade agreement would also undermine our food security objectives and threaten generational renewal. The deal, in my view, trades off the future of Irish agriculture and rural communities for the benefit of the export of cars, machinery, chemicals and steel to the Mercosur countries by big European economies. This is further confirmation and indication of the erosion of Irish sovereignty.

The Irish Farmers Association says it cannot countenance a deal that refuses to recognise the gap in standards between the EU and Brazil and is concerned about lower standards of traceability of Brazilian beef production and the use of hormones. In a recent concession to attempt to offset these concerns, the Commission has proposed a mechanism whereby preferential Mercosur access for farm produce could be suspended if the imported market share or volume rose by 10% or prices fell by a similar figure. Mr. Francie Gorman, the IFA president, has said:

Regrettably it is very difficult to see how this so-called safeguard will be of any help. It requires there to be a threat of 'serious injury' to the sector before an investigation is even launched.

He also said this is "a very high bar" and went on to say:

This safeguard clause allows for the gradual destruction of the EU beef and poultry markets as this deal is phased in. It is just a political fig leaf.

The MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan draws attention to another difficulty. He says trust in European institutions and in their ability to manage trade partnerships has been damaged by the war in Gaza. He points out that any proposed safeguards to suspend trade, if it results in a negative impact on certain sectors, cannot be taken seriously when the EU has not done likewise despite a genocide going on. He is referring, of course, to the Israeli war in Gaza.

I want the Minister to confirm that he and this Government are opposed to this deal and will fight it tooth and nail. We have not heard this yet.

I have heard lately that it would appear the Minister for agriculture links the nitrates derogation currently available to Irish farmers with the Mercosur deal. That is a very dangerous road to go down and I warn him not to go in that direction.

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