Dáil debates
Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Mercosur Trade Agreement: Motion [Private Members]
6:45 am
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I move:
That Dáil Éireann: recognises:
— the threat posed to Irish agriculture, the environment and human rights by the proposed Mercosur Trade Agreement;
— the benefits of Irish agriculture to the Irish economy and its importance to rural communities throughout the country;
— that Irish farmers play a vital role as custodians of the land and promote biodiversity and work to protect the environment;
— that Irish agricultural products is acknowledged for its high standards and is exported around the world;
— the very high environmental standards that Irish and European Union (EU) goods are produced to and regulations that Irish and EU farmers must adhere to in relation to animal welfare standards traceability;
— the need for sustainable and fair international trade agreements to develop new markets for Irish and EU products;
— that tariff reduction can lead to positive outcomes for the public, when implemented in a fair and sustainable way;
— the need for produce to be imported into the EU to adhere to the same environmental and animal welfare standards and traceability regulations as producers in Ireland and the EU must adhere too; and
— the various agreements, declarations and frameworks which the Irish State is a signature to, including but not limited to the Rome Declaration on World Food Security, the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework;
notes with concern:
— that the European Commission (EC) concluded negotiations with four Mercosur countries on 6th December, 2024 on the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement;
— that on 3rd September, 2025, the EC split the EU-Mercosur Agreement into two separate proposals - meaning that national parliaments will have no say on the ratification of the interim Trade Agreement element of the Partnership Agreement;
— the impact that importing 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry into the EU will have on Irish and EU farmers;
— that the Mercosur Agreement is at odds with EU and Irish domestic climate legislation and will lead to greater deforestation and environmental destruction in the Mercosur countries;
— that the EU has delayed implementation of Regulation 2023/1115 on deforestation in part to aid the ratification of the Mercosur Trade Agreement;
— that imported agricultural products from Mercosur countries are often produced using toxic chemicals that have been banned in the EU for decades, and a 2024 EU audit found that Brazil cannot reliably trace or guarantee hormone free beef, yet the Mercosur Agreement will allow exporters to self-certify compliance with EU standards;
— that the Mercosur Trade Agreement will further incentivise human rights violations against indigenous peoples in the Mercosur countries and the theft of their land in order to obtain more land for cattle farming;
— that the bilateral safeguard proposed by the EC only applies for a transitional period of 12 years and the apparent weakness of the mechanism when it comes to protecting farmers;
— that the triggering mechanism for the bilateral safeguard does not apply to situations of risk to public health, environmental destruction or indigenous dispossession;
— that the Mercosur Trade Agreement would undermine our food security objectives and threaten generational renewal; and
— the lack of engagement by the Irish Government with other EU member states in relation to the threats that the Mercosur trade deal poses to Irish and EU farmers and the substantial environmental, human rights and public health risks that the Agreement poses; and
calls on the Government to:
— publicly reject the Mercosur Trade Agreement as it threatens the future of Irish agriculture and the Irish family farm and poses huge threats to the environment, public health and human rights;
— mandate its representatives at Council level to vote against the Mercosur Trade Agreement at its meeting in December 2025; and
— work with likeminded member states to form a blocking minority at Council level.
The Mercosur trade deal is bad for Irish agriculture, European consumers and the global environment. It is a deal that has been spoken about for a long time. It has been negotiated between the EU and the Mercosur countries in Latin America for over 25 years. Those negotiations are now over. There are no more negotiations for this deal. The deal is the deal. It is done, or so we are told. It will be voted on in an EU Council meeting in the next few weeks.
The final EU-Mercosur trade agreement has been widely criticised for harming Irish and EU farmers, undermining climate goals, potentially affecting public health and bypassing democratic scrutiny.
This is a bad deal for Ireland and a bad deal for the EU. The threat to Irish agriculture is very real, especially to our suckler and beef industries and to our poultry sector, which is important and under huge pressure the moment, as the Minister will be aware, with the bird flu pandemic sweeping across the country, potentially causing huge harm. I am sure he is aware this deal is bad for Ireland as this has been reported over the years.
As it currently stands, Mercosur beef is being imported into the EU. In total, approximately 105,000 tonnes of beef and 68,000 tonnes of frozen beef are being imported into the EU annually. Some 58,000 tonnes of this beef has a tariff of 20% on it at the moment under the Hilton quota. The rest has a tariff of between 40% and 50%. The Minister can therefore imagine how cheaply Mercosur countries are producing this substandard beef when they can make profits like this selling beef at a 40% to 50% tariff. Under the Mercosur deal, 58,000 tonnes will have zero tariff and a further 99,000 tonnes will be at a 7.5% tariff. Anything over that will be up to 40% or 50%. There is no limit to the volume of beef that can come from Brazil into the European Union. There is simply a limit to how much will be tariff free or have a low tariff. That is what this deal does.
The Minister and I are aware of the issues with South American beef. Animal welfare standards are considerably poorer than in Ireland and the rest of the EU and there is no traceability of cattle and no tagging of animals at all. Ireland and the EU have the highest standards of animal welfare and food security in the world and this agreement weakens the EU's food safety checks and auditing powers, which will allow importation of products produced with banned pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. This increases the risk of unsafe agricultural products entering the EU market.
This deal is disastrous for the environment. It is seen as incompatible with the EU's Paris Agreement commitments. It is expected to increase exports of deforestation-linked products such as beef and soya, driving the destruction of the Amazon and raising greenhouse gas emissions. The EU's attempt to appease member states that are opposed to this deal by proposing safeguards and a so-called handbrake clause does nothing to protect Irish or EU farmers. There would have to be a decline of 10% in the EU market price to trigger the safeguards and there is a high legal threshold that requires proof that the decline in price is a consequence or result of imports from Mercosur. This safeguard is not preventative. It addresses harm only after it has been caused and does not fix the structural issues, including unequal production standards and environmental costs. If this deal is ratified, it will result in the loss of jobs in Irish agriculture and we will see further decline in the Irish suckler industry, which is already under huge strain. We have seen declining numbers in the suckler herd, particularly in the north west and along the western seaboard.
We are trying to promote generational renewal in Irish agriculture but there is no point in incentivising young farmers to take over the farm on the one hand and pulling the rug out from under them on the other by supporting the Mercosur trade deal. Irish farmers cannot compete with cheap beef from South America that is substandard, with no traceability regulations and poor animal welfare standards, produced at the cost of the environment.
Irish farmers cannot be sacrificed for German cars to be sold in South America. The Government has neglected its responsibility when it comes to defending Irish farmers and has sat back. It has a wait and see approach to the Mercosur trade deal. Its response has always been that it is opposed to the deal in its current form. Well, negotiating is over. The deal is not going to change and in the next four weeks the Government must stand up for Irish farmers and reject the Mercosur trade deal. This deal can only be stopped if the Government engages with like-minded member states and forms a blocking minority at EU Council level.
6:55 am
Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I express my deep condolences to the family of a Waterford man who tragically lost his life in a farming incident this week. It is a stark reminder that farming remains one of the most dangerous occupations in Ireland. I welcome the people in the Public Gallery who represent different farming organisations.
I commend my colleague, Deputy Martin Kenny, and the wider Sinn Féin team on their work on this motion. Most important, I commend them on listening to the deep concerns of the farming community and bringing their voices, concerns and worries about the future of rural communities to the Dáil. Let us be clear: Sinn Féin will ensure their voices are always heard in this Chamber and not left outside the gates of Leinster House.
The Mercosur trade agreement is not some abstract trade policy. It is a direct attack on Irish agriculture, our family farmers and rural communities. Farms like mine in south Kilkenny and that of the Minister in Kildare have been passed down from one generation to the next. Like the Minister's children, my children are growing up on a suckler farm, like so many sons and daughters across Ireland who have grown up farming and working the land. It is much more than a job; it is a way of life. It is a passion that has ensured our farmers reach higher and higher standards. I want a future where our sons and daughters on farms across Ireland can make a decent living while producing the highest quality of food. I give them our word that we will damn well fight for that future.
We should be under no illusion. The Mercosur agreement will create a race to the bottom. For the wider public, the changes will be subdued. Beef that is 100% Irish will start disappearing from menus. Instead, people across Ireland will be served beef that is not traceable and not grass-fed, but reared indoors on banned growth hormones and genetically modified feed. It will devastate the rainforests. Hundreds of thousands of acres are being cleared in South America right now, specifically to produce more of this cheap beef for the EU market. This undermines everything we stand for. Food produced in Ireland and the EU is held to the highest standards. Mercosur countries could not be further from our high standards. Their practices would be considered a public health risk if they were used in the EU. This deal imports their lowest standards and puts the public at risk. Let us be clear: Mercosur is a bad deal for Irish farmers and a bad deal for public health and must be rejected.
Supporting the Mercosur trade agreement would be a betrayal of Irish farming and rural communities. It would involve selling out those who have often stood with the Minister, just so German businessmen can make millions of euro more selling cars and chemicals to South America. That will be the Minister's legacy if a firm stand is not taken now. He has a clear choice. I urge him to stand with ordinary people and stop Ireland being sold out for cheap imports and to protect Irish agriculture by backing this motion.
Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael sold out the Irish fishing industry and is set now to sell out Irish agriculture. The Government faces a simple but serious choice. Will it stand with Irish farmers, rural communities and our domestic food sector or will it allow the Mercosur trade deal to sell them out?
Much was said by the Government in the past year and in the run-up to the general election about opposing the Mercosur deal, but the real test is upon it. Let us call the Mercosur deal what it is. It is a bad deal for our beef and suckler farmers, for the environment, for the world and for Ireland. I welcome those in the Public Gallery from the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA, the Irish Farmers Association, IFA and other organisations. Every farming organisation in this country opposes the Mercosur deal. Every farmer who depends on a fair price, strong standards and a level playing field knows exactly what this agreement will mean. The EU will allow 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry to flood into the European market, much of it produced under standards that would be illegal here. Irish farmers meet the highest levels of traceability, animal welfare and environmental regulation anywhere in the world. There is no equivalent system in Mercosur countries. There are no checks. There is no transparency and no balance. Cattle are not even tagged in many cases. Hormones, pesticides and antibiotics that are banned here and are illegal to use in the European Union are routinely used in production in Mercosur countries; yet the Government will allow that product to compete directly with Irish beef. It is not just unfair; it is a threat to public health and food security.
We are told to trust the so-called safeguard clause but it is nothing more than a political smokescreen. It will not protect Irish farm incomes and will not reverse the structural damage this agreement will cause. Environmentally, the consequences are devastating. As mentioned, the impact on the Amazon at a time of runaway climate change cannot be overstated. Tonight, Sinn Féin is asking this House to send a clear, united message, that Ireland says "No" to the Mercosur trade agreement. We are asking the Minister and his Government to send a clear message to the European Union, the Council and the Commission that we oppose the Mercosur trade agreement and that the Irish State will not accept it as a deal.
We are asking the Government to stop hiding behind excuses, to grow a backbone and to stand up for our family farmers and rural communities, and to work with those European states that are also opposed to this when we come to the Council meeting in December.
The Government can still choose to defend Irish agriculture. It is not too late to defend Irish standards and Irish jobs. It should support this motion, stand with farmers, and reject Mercosur.
7:05 am
Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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Mercosur is a rotten deal for people and for the planet and it must be rejected. The Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the regional Independents, including the Healy-Rae brothers, is selling out Ireland, abandoning our farmers and signing a blank cheque for environmental degradation and destruction the world over because there is no doubt this is just the beginning and it will put the farm families out of business. They are rolling out the red carpet for imports, packed with banned pesticides, hormones and antibiotics and gambling with our agriculture, public health and the future of the planet.
It is a fundamental threat to our sovereignty. I refuse to accept that the largest free trade agreement in history can go ahead without the approval of national parliaments. It is undemocratic and a betrayal of the Irish people. The Government must be honest that this Mercosur deal is fundamentally incompatible with climate science. It exposes the hypocrisy of the Government, von der Leyen and the Commission, in allowing 99,000 tonnes of untraceable South American beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry into the EU market at reduced tariffs. These imports are not subject to the same standards. They fall far short of the high bar we expect from Irish farmers, who produce high-quality food for EU citizens and at the same time provide public goods. This is all being sacrificed for the benefit of global corporations in the automotive and pharma sector to sell cars, insurance and wine. The Government is signing up to a deal that will decimate the Earth's lungs and will reward production linked to the deforestation of the Amazon and the Sierra Nevada, two of the most critical ecosystems on our planet.
I ask the Government, including the Healy-Rae brothers, if they stand with family farmers and indigenous people in the Amazon, and the shared future of the planet? Do they believe in democracy or will they sell out for corporate greed? It is their moment of choice. Which side are they on?
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I have often said that our farmers deserve three things: fair prices, a fair CAP, and fair play. On all three, successive Governments have failed. On prices, we still have the diktats coming from factories and retailers, and we have never got a stranglehold on the conglomerate interests that are controlling the prices received. On CAP, we now have a situation where farmers are receiving fewer payments but are being asked to do more and more every year.
What do I mean by fair play? The first thing I mean by that is a recognition that the farmers in the Gallery tonight and across this country produce food to the highest standards and with the highest number of regulations in the world. Nowhere outside of the European Union matches the controls on farmers in respect of the climate, the environment, animal welfare and biodiversity. Yet, while they are expected to meet all of those obligations, they are also expected to compete with states and farmers which do not have to adhere to the same level of regulation. That is unfair. Not only are they expected to compete, we are now being faced with a trade deal that wants to tip the balance in favour of those farming organisations that do not adhere to the same regulations.
The approach by successive Governments on this matter has been very cynical. I have heard Ministers from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the past decade and a half indicating that they oppose the Mercosur deal. They never say that the only reason Mercosur is on the table at all is an Irish Government signed up to a negotiating mandate and permitted the European Commission to open negotiations when it could have said, "Stop" when a unanimity principle was in place. They do not say that there were countless occasions over the past decade where the Irish Government could have stopped the Mercosur negotiations in their tracks and failed to do so. They do not say, loud and clear, so that the European Commission can hear, that Ireland will not accept a lunacy whereby, in this House, we have people talking about cutting herds in Ireland and Europe, while at the same time importing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of beef from the far end of the world, and literally mowing down rainforests to produce that beef. The lunacy has to stop now. We need clear, unequivocal language that the European Commission hears. We, the Irish people, will not accept the Mercosur trade deal.
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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We have had months and months of hand-wringing and vague objections to the agreement in its current form. The fact is that the negotiations are finished, the deal is done and the Government must decide whether it is for it or against it. From an enterprise, tourism and employment perspective, I recognise exactly what is at stake here. Irish agriculture underpins tens of thousands of rural jobs, small businesses, agritourism ventures, transport, food processing and hospitality. When the family farm is undermined, the entire rural economy is undermined. The deal would flood the EU market with 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry. Irish farmers are required to meet the highest animal welfare, traceability and environmental standards in the world but now they will be forced to compete with cheaper, substandard imports, produced with hormones and chemicals banned here for decades.
The European Commission's own audit in 2024 confirmed that Brazil cannot guarantee hormone-free beef, yet under Mercosur, exporters can self-certify. This is absolutely reckless. Let us be clear that this is not just an attack on Irish farmers; it is an attack on our climate commitments, on indigenous peoples in South America whose lands are taken for cattle-ranching, and on the global fight against deforestation in the Amazon.
Ministers say that they oppose the deal in its current form but that line is meaningless. The deal on the table is the deal. There is no more negotiating. The only question is whether will vote for it or against it. Farmers know this. The IFA, ICSA and INHFA know this. Every farming organisation in the country is opposed to this. The so-called emergency brake is not worth the paper it is written on. It is temporary, weak, and entirely inadequate to prevent job losses, market distortion or the slow death of the family farm. There is much more I could say but I need to hand over to my colleague. The Minister needs to stop dithering. He needs to reject this agreement publicly and to work with like-minded states to build a blocking minority to this disastrous deal.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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All of my life in politics, I have talked to farming families who are asked to adhere to the highest standards possible. That is why we have world-class products when we talk about grass-fed Irish beef, the pride of the world. We are the highest exports in the European Union. Our farmers have been asked to bend over backwards again and again to comply with environmental standards. They have been held up as a scapegoat around climate change again and again. That is what they have had to put up with. It is galling and sickening, therefore, to have the same European Commission that demanded the highest standards possible in the world for our produce to then have produce at a whole different scale competing with us. This is absolute madness.
I commend Deputies Kenny and Newsome Drennan on bringing the motion forward. I thank all the representatives of the farming organisations in the Public Gallery tonight. They are standing up for their communities and saying not to take them for granted. The Government should not take their support for granted. They are putting it to the Minister to stand up to the hypocrisy and the double standards, so that everything that is said by the European Commission and all the agricultural policies are held to scrutiny like never before, and that the Minister should build support across Europe to stop this and put an end to it, to say that we have standards in Europe and that if you want to come into this market and compete, you must reach those standards too. It could not be simpler. It really is straightforward. It is over to the Minister now. I look forward to hearing what he has to say.
Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputies for raising this issue. I acknowledge the presence of those in the Public Gallery for the debate. I intend to divide my address into two parts. On behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I will speak to the broader issues of trade before addressing some of the specific agricultural elements of the Mercosur trade deal.
Trade and our relationships with partners around the world are a central feature of the Irish economic model. Ireland’s story is one of openness - openness to the world, to trade, to new ideas and to new partnerships. Unlike nations whose wealth is rooted in vast natural resources or the legacies of conquest, Ireland’s prosperity comes from something different - the talent of our people, our capacity for innovation, high quality agricultural produce and an outward-facing economy that looks to the world rather than to itself. We are a small country with a global voice, a trusted partner known for being honest, principled and constructive.
Our membership of the European Union is central to that story. It amplifies our voice, strengthens our influence and enables us to advocate for solutions that work for Ireland, Europe and the wider global economy. However, we cannot be complacent. The international environment is more volatile, more unpredictable and more transactional than at any time in recent decades. Through the EU, we have been part of an expanding network of free trade agreements that create opportunities for exports and investment, support jobs and growth at home, and uphold EU standards in food safety, animal and plant health and environmental protection. These agreements help to promote EU values globally, from labour standards to human rights to climate action. For a nation that exports 90% of the food and drink we produce, trade is crucial. Indeed, Irish agriculture has directly benefited from many of the EU trade agreements. As an example, Irish agrifood exports to Japan have increased significantly since the EU-Japan economic partnership came into effect in 2019. For context, within five short years, by 2024, Irish agrifood exports to Japan were valued at €162 million across categories such as dairy, pigmeat and beef, trade only made possible by that EU-Japan economic partnership.
Ireland’s economic strength is rooted in openness. We have enjoyed robust economic performance in recent years, with near full employment and real jobs growth across every region. Our action plans on market diversification and on competitiveness and productivity outline how we will continue to build resilience and ensure Ireland remains an attractive and competitive location for investment and job creation. In short, trade is essential for Ireland. It is the only credible way for us to sustain the jobs and investment our people rely on. However, balance will always be essential.
We have always been clear that EU trade agreements must defend our most vulnerable sectors and that our farmers’ livelihoods must not be undermined through weak or ineffective environmental standards in other countries. In that regard, Ireland has, over a number of years, raised specific concerns about the EU-Mercosur agreement, both regarding our agricultural sensitivities and the strength of the original commitments around trade and sustainability. In September, the European Commission presented its final package of proposals on the EU-Mercosur agreement for adoption by the Council and the European Parliament. This followed some 25 years of negotiations.
Foremost in my mind have been the sensitivities in agriculture in particular, and especially in the beef sector, as well as the concerns around trade and sustainability. As part of the agreement, the EU will grant Mercosur a beef quota at a reduced tariff of 99,000 tonnes, phased in over a six-year period. An economic and sustainability impact assessment, commissioned by the Government, estimated that the resulting increase in beef imports into the EU could lead to a reduction in the value of Irish beef output of between €44 million and €55 million. Concerns have also been raised that Mercosur countries do not operate to the same standards in the production of food, with the potential for negative impacts on the environment, animal welfare and food safety. Ireland and like-minded member states have repeatedly raised such concerns with the Commission and pushed for increased protections for our farmers.
The Commission has set out flanking measures to the overall agreement, focused on addressing concerns raised by the agricultural sector. These include a new legal act covering safeguards for sensitive agricultural products, a financial safety net for farmers, and stronger commitments on production standards and sanitary and phytosanitary compliance.
Ireland has also sought stronger trade and sustainability commitments. We have been clear that the original 2019 text did not go far enough. We raised these concerns repeatedly. We welcomed the fact that the Commission returned to negotiations with Mercosur to strengthen the sustainability chapter.
The resulting legal instrument agreed in December last year seeks to address the concerns raised by Ireland and other EU partners. These changes must be assessed carefully and comprehensively. We have repeatedly emphasised Ireland’s requirements for credible, legally-binding commitments on matters relating to trade and sustainable development, including climate, biodiversity and deforestation protections.
The Government also has concerns about the preferential access being given to Mercosur if South American farmers are not subject to the same sustainable farming standards as our own farmers. It is important to note, in terms of food safety, animal and plant health - SPS standards, as they are known - that the EU’s standards are among the highest in the world. The Commission has consistently stated that these are not up for negotiation. However, production standards go beyond SPS standards and take in other issues, such as environmental sustainability. Irish and EU farmers are held to a very high standard in terms of how they produce food. I have spoken on numerous occasions about concerns about preferential access being granted when farmers in the Mercosur bloc may not be subject to the same sustainable farming standards as our own. As Minister, I have had the opportunity to raise these and other concerns at Agri-Fish Council meetings since my appointment earlier this year. I have also held numerous bilateral meetings on the margins of the Council and, as recently as yesterday, I met again in Brussels with my French and Italian counterparts.
The EU-Mercosur agreement is seen by many EU countries and by the European Commission as a strategic tool for economic growth, competitiveness and supply chain security. The current global trade landscape is resulting in member states reassessing their position. There is increasing pressure within the EU to move forward on this agreement despite the Government’s best efforts to engage with like-minded member states on this. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and I, as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, have firmly advocated for Irish farmers at EU meetings and with the Commission. The Government has been examining the final package in its entirety to determine whether our concerns have been fully addressed and whether the necessary balance has been achieved. We have been doing this rigorously, in consultation with like-minded member states and with stakeholders, including our farming communities, who have a direct and legitimate interest in this agreement.
The Commission’s recent proposal gives some clarity on the legal structure they foresee for the agreement, whereby it will be a “split” agreement. This means that the interim trade agreement, ITA, which would include the trade pillar of the agreement, can be ratified at EU level. This can be done through adoption by qualified majority vote, QMV, through the Trade Council and by a simple majority at the European Parliament. For the QMV vote, a blocking minority would be required to prevent adoption of the agreement. This requires at least four member states, representing over 35% of the EU population, voting against or abstaining on the proposal. It is fair to say that, right now, it is far from clear that a blocking minority exists.
Ireland supports open, fair, rules-based trade. We value our membership of the EU and the opportunities that being part of the largest trading bloc brings. However, we also support a balanced approach that protects our most vulnerable sectors and ensures that international agreements uphold the highest standards of sustainability, environmental protection and labour rights. Supporting open trade does not oblige us to support every trade agreement in any form. This is the approach we have taken throughout the EU-Mercosur agreement negotiating process in seeking to protect our interests and mitigate our concerns. It is the approach we have continued to take as we examine this final package.
With the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, my Department continues to examine the proposals in detail and will continue to engage with the Commission to ensure that Ireland’s concerns are fully taken on board. Pending that examination and the completion of ongoing engagement, Ireland's position on the EU-Mercosur agreement remains as clearly outlined in the programme for government. The Government fully recognises the concerns raised in this motion regarding the proposed EU-Mercosur agreement, particularly in relation to Irish agriculture, the need for robust trade and sustainability commitments, and the importance of our rural economy, which every Member of this House accepts. In that context, the Government will not oppose today’s motion. The Government is committed to continuing discussions and engagement with other member states and with the Commission in the coming weeks ahead of any final Council vote.
7:15 am
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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What the Minister calls agricultural sensitivities, we see as a real threat to Irish agriculture and Irish farm families the length and breadth of our State. It is a real kick in the teeth to farmers who have to bend over backwards and work so hard to meet regulation after regulation. They have to meet a bar that is set so high, and they meet it, high as it is, yet they then see the real possibility of tens of thousands of tonnes of beef coming into the EU totally unregulated.
I grew up on a beef and suckler farm. I have lived on it my entire life. We recently had our Bord Bia inspection and audit.
It is important to recognise the amount of work that goes into that. There must be a record of every receipt for every bag of meal and medicinal product purchased, every detail on every medicine for every animal, including when it was administered and the quantity, and every detail on batch numbers for feed, along with a record of every single detail that goes into the work farmers have to do day in, day out to ensure they meet standards and their traceability obligations. Every movement of every animal must be accounted for. If you have a cat on your farm, that cat has to have had a tablet. That is the standard Irish farmers and their families are held to when they face audits and inspections.
The nub of the issue here is that Irish farmers work extremely hard. They have to in order to do what they do. For a lot of them, it is about a love of the land and the farm. It is about family and generations. It is about so much more than profit, which many farmers do not make to begin with. What we have heard here tonight will not fill them with confidence. Deputy Heydon, as the Minister for agriculture in Ireland, was not in a position to say that he rejects and opposes Mercosur. He has not said that, and I do not think that will fill farmers with faith.
7:25 am
Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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Mercosur will allow the cheap importation of beef, poultry, pork, sugar and biofuels produced to lower standards than ours. Our Food Safety Authority was established after several high-profile outbreaks and deaths from food-borne illnesses, and its commitment since to openness and transparency has helped us as consumers to look for and demand healthier food. Knowing where our food comes from, its production method and its journey to our tables allows us to make decisions on quality, freshness, nutrition and environmental sustainability. More importantly, it allows us to make decisions on supporting local farmers and producers.
This deal is a threat to public health. Mercosur countries do not even tag cattle and they use hormones and antibiotics that are banned here. As a country, we worked hard to reach the high standard. Our farmers worked hard on this. What will all that hard work amount to and where will we stand if we allow cheap imports from Mercosur countries with lower standards? Our family farms are struggling as it is, and this deal will be so bad for farmers and the production of healthier food.
When it comes to deforestation, governments only agreed to trying to prevent deforestation six years from now. Six years will bring us to the end of 2031, yet at the COP26 climate change summit our Taoiseach, along with more than 100 governments, signed a pledge promising to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Where does that pledge lie now? Is this going to be another broken promise? Are the lungs of our world going to continue to be decimated? How much more stored carbon is going to be released? Experts say we are at a tipping point, a point of no return.
On top of all that, this agreement would allow Mercosur countries to sue if the EU deforestation regulation or any future environmental or social legislation affected their exports to the EU. How anyone can believe this deal will be good for farmers, our country’s health and our climate is beyond me.
Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister knows the Mercosur trade deal is bad for Ireland and Irish farmers. Before the last general election, the Government was against the agreement. Now it is time to stand up against the deal. In the EU, the Sinn Féin MEPs, Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion, are standing up for Ireland and Irish farmers. Along with colleagues in the Left group, they have referred the deal to the European Court of Justice. They have asked the top European court to rule on whether the Mercosur deal is legal under EU law.
This agreement is widely criticised for undermining our climate goals and bypassing democratic scrutiny. The deal would let either side demand compensation if it believed the policies of the other side had hurt it economically, even if those policies complied with all legal and trade rules. This could be exploited to further undermine EU regulations around climate, workers’ rights and health standards. The agreement puts the health of our people at risk. It will facilitate a race to the bottom in poultry and beef standards. There is no test for the antibiotics put into beef or poultry imported from Brazil. We have to take the word of rich big ranch farmers. This is simply not good enough.
This deal will have damaging consequences for the environment. It will see further deforestation in South America. It threatens the livelihood of indigenous farmers in Brazil. They have pleaded with Europe not to support this deal as it will give the big ranchers and their supporters the green light to push farmers off their land to make way for the production of beef to undermine EU farmers, including Irish farmers. This must serve as a wake-up call for the Government. Now it is time for it to make up its mind, stand up for Ireland and its farmers against this dangerous deal and say no to Mercosur.
Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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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.
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important and timely motion and thank Deputies Kenny and Newsome Drennan for tabling it. The purpose and intent of the motion is to send a clear, unequivocal message that Ireland must stand up for its farming families and rural communities by opposing the Mercosur trade deal. This agreement is a bad deal on every front. It is a bad deal for Irish agriculture because it threatens our world-class standards with an influx of substandard imports. It is a bad deal for consumers because it undermines public health, food safety and traceability. Moreover, it is a bad deal for our environment because it promotes a model of production that fuels deforestation.
All the main farming organisations stand united in their opposition to the deal, and they recognise the existential threat it poses to their members’ livelihoods. The Government’s response has been dangerously lacklustre. Their wait-and-see, it-will-be-all-right-on-the-night approach is a dereliction of duty. Negotiations are finished. The deal is done, but it is not too late to stop it.
The Minister had ten minutes in which to make his contribution. He used his ten minutes to say absolutely nothing. It was a running commentary using language to the effect that the Government "continues to examine" the deal and continues to engage. In his words, "It is fair to say that, right now, it is far from clear that a blocking minority exists." What about the Government’s efforts to build a blocking minority?
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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Why does the Government not say it "has examined" this deal, not that it "continues to examine" it? Why does it not state it will stand up for farmers and rural communities, defend their livelihoods, oppose and reject the deal, and build the blocking minority to ensure it does not pass?
Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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I thank Sinn Féin, including Deputy Martin Kenny, for this motion. The Labour Party will be supporting it. On behalf of the Labour Party, I welcome those from the IFA and other farming organisations in the Visitors Gallery.
I am absolutely baffled by the senior Minister’s disappearance, considering that this is one of the biggest debates this Dáil has had since my election to this Chamber and affects so many rural communities and families across this country. It is so disappointing that he went away after ten minutes of absolute waffle.
One of the biggest issues of our time and of my generation is climate change.
Our country and the European Union do not treat this emergency with the necessary urgency it deserves. In areas like housing, transport, data centres and production, climate change is not being treated like an emergency.
Furthermore, the engagement of a trade deal with a region where beef production is responsible for 65% of tropical deforestation is a negative path. Trade deals must serve the environment and climate protection, rather than putting the climate under greater pressure and exposing it to greater destruction. I have grown up hearing constantly from the State, activists and farmers that the distance between farm and fork should be short. We should take pride in local produce and we should strive to buy local and support local. This proposed trade deal flies in the face of that narrative.
Irish farming is not perfect. Farmers themselves will say that. It is, however, a standard bearer in terms of production and quality of produce. Irish farmers have made strenuous efforts to reduce their carbon footprints in line with Government policy and they are doing their best to help us to meet our legally binding climate targets, whether the narrative tells that or not. They have rightful concerns about their livelihoods and the value of their produce under the proposed deal.
I am concerned about the impact that an inadequately regulated market for beef from South America will have on workers’ rights and the environment in Mercosur countries. We must always be cognisant of workers’ rights and conditions in our trade deals, no matter where in the world they are. What should benefit workers in Europe should also benefit workers in South America. We already see the severe destruction of the rainforest and the lagging behind of workers’ rights in agriculture. The fear we have is that a trade deal lacking in these areas is going to create severe problems for both workers and the environment. I am not casting negativity on South American countries. Indeed, the European Union and countries within it, including Ireland, are severely lacking in protections for workers and actions and policies to combat climate change. Perhaps this is why concern is so well founded. The European Union and Mercosur countries do not prioritise ordinary workers and the environment enough.
The beef produced in South America is not subject to the same strict requirements as beef produced in Europe in respect of traceability, animal welfare and health and safety. Beef can be produced cheaper and in greater quantity compared to here. It can also be produced without any regard to environmental standards. I am not opposed to a trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur countries, but I want the trade deals made at this level to benefit workers and ensure that our environment is protected, jobs are not lost and family farms and farmers’ livelihoods are protected. The value of the beef sector in Ireland must also be protected internationally. That is why we would welcome a genuine partnership between the EU and Mercosur, as long as it is built on strong workers’ rights, environmental protection and the security of our farming industry. The proposed deal, however, does not convince me in that regard.
The agriculture and farming sector holds a particular importance in rural Ireland. Our local economies have grown around the sector. Traditionally, our local supermarkets, pubs, cafés and businesses were established initially to provide services and products for local people. Many people have been employed in creameries, co-ops and State agencies or as farm labourers and farmers. Those of us who live and have grown up in rural Ireland know well the importance of agriculture. They do not know that, perhaps, here in the centre of Dublin. While rural economies have grown and diversified, we know the vital role agriculture has in our local economies. We have much pride in our local produce and support for Irish farmers can be found across our communities.
I have serious concerns about this deal, as do the people of north Cork, whom I represent. The farming sector, which contributes hugely to the local economy of north Cork, does too. We need the Irish Government to stand up for standards in food production, environmental protection and workers’ rights and ensure family farms are kept in all trade deals at European level.
To touch on some of the points the Minister made, the EU has made funds available for hardship or losses endured as a result of the Mercosur deal, but it is unclear how difficult it will be to trigger these funds. The Department said the Irish Government should be able to obtain these moneys for farmers who lose out, but speaking before the committee on agriculture, a Department of agriculture official said there would be a high threshold for accessing EU support. They are taking farmers for granted. They are trying a small bit to make them into fools.
What crazes me – I will touch on it very briefly – is an example under the Mercosur deal where EU policy seems inconsistent. Certain pesticides are banned for use in the EU, although EU companies can still manufacture and sell products containing them elsewhere, including to Mercosur countries. Farmers in Mercosur countries could then sell these products, which use these pesticides that are deemed unsafe for the environment and human health, back to Europe. A trade deal with Mercosur would incentivise the expansion of this market.
I absolutely welcome this motion and I am calling out Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for their complete disregard for farmers and rural communities across this country.
7:35 am
George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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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.
George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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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.
7:45 am
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I welcome this motion and the opportunity to speak on this really important issue. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing it forward. The Social Democrats will be 100% supportive of this motion. Objection to the Mercosur free trade agreement is not just a matter of trade but of principle, sovereignty, environmental integrity and protecting our indigenous industries. This deal is a direct threat to our beef and poultry sectors, to our rural communities and to the standards we have fought so hard to uphold in food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.
I begin by expressing a deep concern I am sure others in this Chamber share. I am sure many people in the Gallery do so too. The Government is not fighting this deal with the urgency or strength it demands. I have often wondered what kind of conversations would have happened in this Chamber when we were talking about the Common Fisheries Policy. What kind of discussions, debates and arguments were put forward when Ireland was signing away our sovereignty when it came to our fishing resources? I must say that reading this speech from the Minister today, I would imagine it was very similar. The Minister has seven pages here in this speech about Mercosur and, my goodness, there is vague and watery language. There is talk of "repeatedly emphasising", "the text did not go far enough", "the Government has concerns", and "examining the final package". Nowhere in this speech does he say this Government is opposed to Mercosur. Nowhere in this speech has he stated that Ireland will formally or has formally opposed this deal. That is exactly what we needed to hear from the Minister tonight. It is what people in the Gallery needed to hear. Instead, it is wishy-washy language.
In May this year, I raised this issue with the Tánaiste. I asked specifically what countries he was talking with to ensure we can have a minority blocking group on this matter. I asked him who he was working with. Similarly, I got fluffy language back but nothing definite. I was told we were having meetings. Where are the results of those meetings? Why is the Minister not able to say we are absolutely 100% against this deal and we will fight hard for our rural communities when it comes to it? Turning to Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and, indeed, the Independents, who have been lambasting me recently-----
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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-----in relation to ensuring we have a robust farming sector that works with our environmental sector, where are they tonight?
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I am not specifically talking about the Minister of State. I am talking about the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. Where is he tonight? He is not here for this debate. Where is his support for rural communities when it comes to Mercosur? Is he just going to roll over and accept it because Europe says so?
In relation to this deal, the numbers speak for themselves. The Mercosur trade deal will allow 99,000 tonnes of beef into the EU annually at a reduced tariff rate of 7.5%. These will not just be low-value cuts. They will be premium steaks and striploin fillets, the very products Irish farmers rely on to fetch to fair prices in European markets. Ireland exports roughly 440,000 tonnes of beef every year, which is worth €2.8 billion. Meat Industry Ireland, MII, estimates that Mercosur could cost our beef industry between €100 million and €130 million annually. This represents a loss of between €75 and €95 per head of cattle. Suckler farmers are already operating on razor-thin margins and will now be pushed to the brink. Family farms will be lost and rural Ireland will suffer. No amount of plámasing from the Healy-Raes or the Ministers will make up for that loss.
I also want to mention that it is very important Sinn Féin has included poultry in this motion because sometimes I think we do not have the debate in relation to poultry and the impact Mercosur will have on poultry producers. They are often sidelined in this debate. They will, however, face immediate and severe exposure under Mercosur. The deal allows 180,000 tonnes of poultry into the EU under a five-year transition period. In one year alone, 30,000 tonnes will enter. This is equivalent to the entire annual Irish chicken breast meat production of 1.2 billion fillets. To put it plainly, a single year of Mercosur imports could wipe out the domestic market for a cornerstone product of our poultry sector. Brazilian poultry is sold at less than half the price of its EU equivalent. That price differential reflects very different input costs, regulatory standards and production practices. In essence, that price differential reflects a significantly lower-quality product. Irish producers cannot compete on price with imports produced under such conditions nor should they have to. The EU already imports 400,000 tonnes of poultry meat annually. Adding Mercosur volumes risks flooding the market with cheap imports and will devastate local producers and seriously undermine our food sovereignty, something becoming more and more important in an increasingly unstable world.
This deal is not just bad for our farmers, however. I will always speak up for the environment when it needs someone in here to speak for it. This deal is bad for the environment and our planet. Mercosur countries, especially Brazil, have been the focus of intense international concern over deforestation, land conversion and weak enforcement of environmental laws. Large areas of the Amazon rain forest have been cleared at alarming rates to make way for cattle ranching and soya production, releasing vast stores of carbon and destroying biodiversity. It is hard to miss the bitter irony of COP 30 being hosted in the heart of the rain forest as it disappears before our very eyes.
The optics are bleak but the reality is much worse. While global leaders meet to discuss climate action, the ecosystems those negotiations rely on are being actively degraded around them. Approving a trade deal that increases market access for commodities linked to that degradation risks locking in supply chains that perpetuate high emissions and environmental harm. Irish farmers are being asked to meet ever stricter sustainability standards, adopt climate-smart practices and absorb the cost of decarbonisation. Meanwhile, imports produced with lower environmental safeguards-----
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am here. Deputy Whitmore was looking for me.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae, take a seat.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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You were looking for me. Here I am.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae-----
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am here. I was here all night.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Is the Leas-Cheann Comhairle allowing that to happen?
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I will not be protecting the foxes either.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Are you allowing him to come in here and interrupt this debate?
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae-----
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I will not be protecting the foxes either like you will.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae, take your seat.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Stay in your seat and stay quiet.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I will do whatever I like, madam.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Stay in your seat and stay quiet; it is not your time to talk.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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-----this is unacceptable.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Healy-Rae.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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He is completely interrupting this debate. He does not know when it is his turn to speak, and it is not his turn to speak now.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Tell them what you said about the foxes.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Sit down and be quiet.
Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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Sit down, will you.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Sit down and be quiet.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I will sit down wherever I like.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Sit down and be quiet.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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You will sit down Deputy or you will leave the Chamber. It is one or the other.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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She was looking for me, so I had to come in.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Go. Please leave the Chamber.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I never mentioned your name at all.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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You did mention my name.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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It is your brother sitting on the ministerial benches that I mentioned.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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You will not say I was not here either-----
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am here and I have been all day and all night.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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You have not been. You have just walked back in.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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You have just walked back.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Go ahead, Deputy.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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You have not been here all the time. Would you stop?
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Whitmore, continue please.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Okay, if we are let get back to it.
Meanwhile imports produced with lower environmental safeguards effectively undercut these efforts. That is not fair competition; that is regulatory hypocrisy. Embedding references to the Paris Agreement into the text might provide political signalling but without binding enforceable environmental conditionality, it will not close the gap. If we are serious about protecting farmers, defending environmental standards and asserting food sovereignty, we must insist on treaty language that goes beyond rhetoric. This means concrete, enforceable obligations, automatic remedies for demonstrated competitive distortions and a transparent independent monitoring regime with teeth. Anything else will leave Irish producers paying the price of diplomacy dressed up as progress.
There is then the issue of health. The quality of meat produced under Mercosur standards raised serious concerns. Brazil's beef farmers are known to use pesticides banned in the EU and reports have highlighted carcinogenic residues, antibiotic overuse, with poor traceability. Indeed, the use of hormones, such as estradiol, are used in some Mercosur production systems. This is a hormone that is banned in the EU due to cancer risks. How can we stand by our children consuming that? Overuse of antibiotics in intensive production contributes to antimicrobial resistance, weaker pesticide control and increases the risk of carcinogenic residues. In 2017, the EU banned Brazilian meat for a period because of these systemic failures.
Has that been completely forgotten by this Government? We are so lucky in Ireland to have a high level of trust in our food system. Ratifying Mercosur would erode that trust and put our consumers at risk.
This deal is not inevitable and the Government can stand against it. This motion stands up for Irish farmers, food safety and environmental integrity. I strongly urge the Government to support this motion and to formally object to the Mercosur free trade deal. When I say "formally object", I mean formally object. I do not mean the Government should go to the newspapers and talk about how it does not think it should go through. I do not mean standing up here in the Dáil and pretending or using rhetoric to suggest it is objecting to it. I mean it should actually go to the table and say this Government will not support it. That is what is necessary. There should be no more talk in the papers, no more press releases, no more fluffy language or pretending the Government is going to do something, treating farmers like they have not a notion what it is doing. They know exactly what the Government is doing. They know they are not being represented by it. They know they are not being represented by the Independents on those benches and by that kind of behaviour we have seen here tonight.
7:55 am
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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That is not what people want to see. That is not who they want to see representing them in the manner they are being represented.
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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They want the Government to stand with them and to oppose this deal. They will not forgive the Government if it does not do that. They will never forgive it if its lets them down at this stage.
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am pleased to speak in this debate today on behalf of the Green Party. I thank Sinn Féin for putting forward the motion. The Mercosur agreement and the trade deal that it increasingly looks like this Government is going to support is not just environmentally catastrophic. It will be economically devastating for Irish agriculture. It will open the floodgates to cheap beef from industrial-scale operations across South America, where production costs are minimal. That is due to weak labour law protections, environmental laws that are minimal and a sector that is pumped up with toxic agrochemicals, many of which are actually banned in the European Union. How can Irish family farms compete with beef that is fattened on land that has been ripped from the Amazon and sprayed with substances that would land an Irish farmer in court if he or she used those same substances?
One element of the Mercosur deal that is not being recognised in the Irish context is the chemical warfare embedded in the agreement. While South American agriculture will flow to Europe, that will mean there is a trade imbalance, and that will be evened out by billions' worth of pesticides going the other direction. Many of these are so toxic that the EU has actually banned them: carcinogens that cause cancer; endocrine disruptors that block the body's normal functioning of our hormones; neonic synthetic pesticides that are toxic to pollinators; and chemicals that contaminate the soil and water for generations. In Brazil alone, approvals for highly contaminating and hazardous pesticides have surged in recent years, as have their sales.
Meanwhile, the environmental carnage accelerates. The Mercosur deal rewards more cattle ranching, more soy plantations and more deforestation of the Amazon. Indeed, this deal represents a deforestation machine. It will drive climate collapse while farmers in other parts of the world are working constructively to reduce their own emissions as they are here in Ireland and across the European Union.
Finally, there is the human cost. Indigenous communities are being displaced, poisoned, persecuted and even killed to clear lands for the exports that this deal is designed to boost. This is not modern; it is medieval and is rooted in extraction, exploitation and a fantasy that Europe can outsource environmental damage without moral consequence. I urge Government Members to reject this deal here in Ireland and at European level and to negotiate with their EU counterparts to stop this disastrous deal in its tracks. The EU's integrity demands it, Irish farming families demand it and our climate obligations demand it too.
Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)
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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.
8:05 am
Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I welcome the farming organisations. I welcome this motion. In the summer of 2024, when the political machines were flying around this country, the promises to all of the farming organisations, farmers and voters that Mercosur would be opposed were plenty. In November, it was said again. I was looking at the programme for Government again this evening. It stated that the Government would "work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal." What I have heard tonight is like a fella sitting on the fence and a fella who is going to fall into Ursula von der Leyen's side of the field, not into the side of farmers right around the country. It was astonishing to hear a Minister for agriculture basically say we will look at this, that and the other. Do not give a promise a year ago that the Government will do something if it is not going to deliver it. Do not fool the people around this country and in the agricultural sector if it will not deliver what it said it would.
Tonight, Deputy Martin Kenny and all of the representatives in agriculture had a meeting with the Polish committee on agriculture. They are fully opposed to Mercosur. They will work with us. In the committee, we are trying to build relationships. We are going to talk to the French, the Austrians and the Italians. This work on the Mercosur deal should have been done by our Minister already to build relationships everywhere. The Polish are completely opposed to it, so we have allies if we want to use them, or do we have the towel thrown in, with the secret deal done behind the scenes?
In the last couple of weeks, we heard the Commissioner talk. The Commissioner was in Ireland and stated very clearly, in committee room two, that if cattle or beef prices dropped 6%, 7%, 8% or 9% per year, the handbrake would not come on. During the week you would not know if it is the cable that is gone in the handbrake with the way it is now. They will not give a yes-no answer because they are muddying the water and leaving farmers not knowing what the terms and conditions are. The fact is that if prices do not drop by more than 10%, farmers are in trouble. That has not changed.
This is a grubby deal for the simple reason that it has been split in Europe so that there will be no vote in this Parliament here. We can blame someone else and say they did that abroad in Europe. I welcome Ciaran Mullooly and the rest of the MEPs such as Michael McNamara, who have gone to the courts to try to do something. I am not a believer in the European Court of Justice, ECJ, because I think it is a kangaroo court and I do not think we will get what we deserve out of that.
Our MEPs need to build relationships, our Government needs to build relationships and we on the agriculture committee will build relationships that are as good as possible. However, at the end of the day, this will be sorted in the Council of Ministers. If the Government has the liarthróidí, do not be afraid to be on the other side of the fence. Do not be afraid to say you do not agree with what the EU is doing and you are opposing it, and let others stand up with you. The simple reason is that there will be 7 million more cattle from now to 2033 in Brazil. As has been brought up - I welcome this point as well - the poultry sector in Ireland will be decimated by this deal. There is also the issue of traceability and hormones.
We all know what is going on. They built a road through the rainforest for COP30 and these are the people who will be saving the world. The Minister and the Government have to make a decision. Last year, they assured the Irish people, not alone during the summer but before the election as well. Plenty of politicians who are elected here met the farming organisations right around their constituencies and guaranteed them that there was no way they would let this deal through. Sadly, tonight I am a bit hoarser than I was a year ago. Some of us have stood by this. This Government needs to stand up for the Irish farming sector and be counted. If it does not do that, it will not be tomorrow or next year or the year after that we will see the results. It will be in nine and ten years' time that the farmers of Ireland will suffer for this.
Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I welcome the farming organisations who are represented in the Gallery today. It is the third time they have been here in the Dáil during the past week fighting for the survival of their members. I thank Sinn Féin for this motion on the Mercosur trade agreement, an issue that goes to the heart of Ireland's rural economy, our food standards and our environmental commitments. This deal as it stands poses a serious threat to Irish farming. It would open the door to 99,000 tonnes of South American beef entering the EU market every year, produced under conditions that fall far short of the standard we demand here. Growth hormones that are banned in Europe are still widely used in Brazil. There is no EU inspection system on the ground and past experience shows that meat cleared by Brazilian authorities has failed EU safety tests. Irish farmers have built a reputation for quality, traceability and sustainability. That reputation is not just a market slogan; it is a foundation of rural livelihoods. Yet, this deal risks flooding the market with beef at €3.50 per kilo compared with €9 or €10 for quality Irish beef. How can our farmers compete with that?
It is not just beef. Dairy exports, which some claim will benefit, will face the same reality. Mercosur dairy products are up to 40% cheaper than ours. The promised opportunities are, frankly, wishful thinking. We are told there will be safeguards but let us look at the facts. The proposed €1 billion safety net for farmers has been dropped. The environmental and human rights clauses sound good on paper but enforcement has been weak in other trade deals. These are not real protections; they are political cover.
This is why voices like Ciaran Mullooly, our Midlands-North-West MEP, have been campaigning tirelessly in Brussels to block this agreement. He has warned that this is not just an economic issue; it is a question of food safety, climate responsibility and fairness. Ciaran has built alliances with farming groups and secured commitments from France to oppose the deal. Ireland must do the same. The Government promised to oppose Mercosur. Tonight, we need to reaffirm that commitment. I am worried when I do not see agriculture Ministers across from us here showing the interest they should. We need our Government to stand up and make sure this will not stand. This Government needs to back Irish farmers, the people who put food on the table. Ireland must make its position crystal clear. This deal is unacceptable. Silence is not an option. This is a defining moment. Do we stand with our farmers, our rural communities and our environmental obligations or do we sign away those values for a deal that benefits others at our expense?
In rural Ireland, agriculture is not just an industry; it is a way of life. Up here in Dublin, some may not fully grasp that reality. We know the hard work it takes to run a farm. We know the dedication it takes to keep that farm alive. We know what it means when fathers and mothers dream of passing that land onto their children. Farming is not a job; it is in the blood, but our farmers are exhausted. They are buried under paperwork, strangled by bureaucracy and squeezed by regulations on nitrates. Now, if this Mercosur deal goes ahead, it will be the wipe-out of Irish farming. I urge the House to reject this agreement and to send a strong message to Brussels: Ireland will not sacrifice its standards, its farmers or its future
Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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I welcome the farming organisations this evening and thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. Last week, the Climate Change Advisory Council of Ireland outlined that if we continue on our current trajectory around carbon emissions, this country will face up to €26 billion of fines by 2030. It is an incredible sum of money - €26 billion. At the same time that our European institutions, and indeed our Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments, have signed us up to these fines, they are also about to sign us up to the Mercosur trade deal, which will see 99,000 tonnes of beef from Europe, deforestation across Latin America and the importation of substandard beef at a carbon cost of three to six times that of Irish beef.
How does that make sense? How does it make sense that we will pay up to €26 billion in fines by 2030?
On the other hand, we are going to sign this trade deal, which will have a devastating impact for our climate. Who is this going to benefit? We have some of the best beef in the world, with some of the strictest and toughest environmental standards, and standards right across our food sector. The beef that we are going to import is a verifiable health risk, with 17-beta-estradiol, a growth hormone that is widely found and widely used in cattle production in the Mercosur countries. It is classified as a carcinogenic. The use of hormones is completely banned across Europe. It is completely banned in Ireland, yet we want to import this into Ireland and right across the European Union. We have seen these double standards not just in this beef deal but also in the tillage sector, which knows all too well about this. The fact is that genetically modified grain is coming into Ireland and the European Union and is competing with Irish native grain, and yet we cannot engage in that. How does that make sense?
I sat in the committee this evening and we spoke to our Polish counterparts. We are working to try and build alliance across the European Union, but that is what the Government should be doing here. It is what the Minister for agriculture should be doing. I think we do have support in that regard. We saw the electioneering that went on at the ploughing championships and at agricultural shows across the country before the general election. All of those commitments seem to be forgotten. The language this evening was incredibly vague. That is absolutely and totally disappointing. In terms of the safeguards, I think it is well documented now that there are no safeguards and that the beef price can actually fall by 9% over five years without any safeguards being implemented. It will cost the farming sector across Ireland up to €130 million. It is time for the Government to get off the fence and either come down with the farmers or come down on the side of Mercosur. It is time-----
8:15 am
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy.
Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome all the farmers' organisations in the Gallery here this evening. The Mercosur trade agreement is moving very quickly towards a qualified majority vote. That means Ireland cannot rely on an imagined veto. We need clarity, conviction and a firm defence of Irish farmers. Fianna Fáil welcomes this debate but let me be very clear: unless this agreement contains real enforcement protections, Ireland cannot and should not support the Mercosur package. Barry Cowen MEP has done detailed and difficult work on this. He met privately with the DG AGRI officials, who design and enforce the safeguard mechanism. What he brought back matters deeply to the farmers across Louth and the north east and all across the country. The Commission has now confirmed that the 10% threshold is not a hard trigger, that the 7% to 9% rise in imports or fall in prices already counts as a market injury, that provisional safeguards can be imposed in 21 days, that a member state's requests must be answered within five working days and that investigations must conclude within four months, not 12.
These improvements are direct results of Irish pressure, but they do not change the basic reality that 99,000 tonnes of beef quota has real consequences for real farms. In Collon, Ardee, Dunleer, the Cooley Peninsula, Castlebellingham and all across the Boyne Valley, farmers are operating on razor-thin margins and cannot absorb the price collapse driven by lower standard imports. That leads to a central issue of trust. If farmers cannot trust their own Department, they are not going to trust Brussels. The recent handling of the sheep welfare scheme proves that point. Farmers were told they would receive €13 per ewe. They planned around it and they budgeted for it. Then the Department cut it to €11.50. This is not a minor tweak. It is a disgrace. When the State moves the goalposts after farmers have already committed, how can any anyone realistically expect them to have confidence in a European safeguard system affecting their livelihoods? If this is how the Department operates a domestic scheme, why should farmers trust them-----
Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Ah come on. It is not the Department, it is the Government.
Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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-----in something as consequential-----
Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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It is the Government, not the Department.
Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I do not. I am speaking. I do not run a Department. Am I a Minister?
Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Do not interrupt me. If you agree with me, shut your mouth. Do you agree with me?
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Hold on, Deputy.
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Hold on. Deputy Lawless, you were not interrupted when you were speaking. I would ask you to have respect for whoever is speaking on this side, please.
Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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You were not so quick to defend Deputy Whitmore when she was interrupted-----
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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You can make your point through your side's speakers-----
John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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You were not interrupted. Deputy McGreehan to conclude.
Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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If this is how the Department operates on a domestic scheme, why would farmers trust them with something as consequential as Mercosur? Fianna Fáil's position is straightforward. We support trade but not at the expense of Irish agriculture. We recognise the export opportunities in services, engineering and life sciences but not at the cost of the farmers in the north east or anywhere else. The programme for Government is explicit: Ireland will stand by like-minded EU countries to defend our farmers and oppose any Mercosur agreement that does not deliver binding commitments on climate, biodiversity, deforestation and fair product standards. That remains our position. Farmers want honesty, consistency and a Government that keeps its word. Fianna Fáil will continue to fight for exactly that because rural Ireland cannot be asked to carry the risk of trade while trust at home has already been undermined.
Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome every farming organisation here this evening. I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on an issue that lies at the heart of our rural communities, the Mercosur trade agreement, and how we are going to ensure the protection of Irish farmers. As everybody in this room knows, farming is not just a job; it is a way of life for many in Ireland. Our farmers work tirelessly to produce high-quality food while adhering to the highest environmental and animal welfare standards. However, the proposed Mercosur deal raises significant concerns about how it could impact their livelihoods. While we recognise the potential economic opportunities that could arise from opening new markets, we have to be clear that our farmers cannot bear the weight of this agreement if it puts their livelihoods at risk. This is a non-negotiable. The prospect of increased imports of cheaper agricultural products from South America could drive down prices and threaten the sustainability of our farms. We have to advocate, in particular at LEADER level at this stage, for strong safeguards, higher standards, compensation and support, and transparency and consultation.
It is a very specific measure in the programme for Government that Ireland will stand by like-minded EU countries to defend our farmers and to oppose any Mercosur agreement that does not deliver binding commitments on climate, biodiversity, deforestation and fair production standards.
In conclusion, I call on the Government to stand up for Irish farmers, to stand up for our farmers right around the country, to stand up for our farmers in Carlow and Kilkenny, because they deserve our protection and support. As we navigate the complexities of international trade, let us ensure that any agreements made serve to strengthen, not weaken, our agricultural sector.
Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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Whatever way you slice it, this Mercosur madness is a disastrous deal for Ireland and I remain strongly opposed to it. If it is pushed through and ratified by a qualified majority, then the EU Commission will have very clearly signalled its contempt not just for the sovereignty of this Parliament but for the livelihoods of the farmers that it will destroy. Far from being our ally and our friend, this Commission has demonstrated a willingness to smother our rural economy in its sleep. It simply does not care what the outcomes are for Ireland. It is, quite literally, a poisonous deal as we know that South American meat often uses growth-promoting hormones and antibiotics that are banned in the EU, potentially increasing carcinogenic risks for Irish consumers. The arguments against this deal have been rehearsed so many times. In fact, the deal has managed to unite farmers and environmentalists in their opposition to it, but for very different reasons. There is no doubt whatsoever that Ireland stands to lose out disproportionately due to our reliance on high-value, standards compliance farming. The critical issues have not been mitigated despite our clear warnings to the EU Commission. Some of the those warnings include the deal allowing for 99,000 tonnes of tariff-free beef primarily from Brazil and Argentina, not just as a once-off but annually, undercutting Irish farmers' prices amid current high market values and threatening our sector viability. What we need here is a commitment from the Government. The Government must stand with our farming community. This deal must be opposed and a message of strong opposition has to be sent to the EU Commission now. The Government needs to get off the fence and stand with our farmers.
Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I am glad to be able to speak on this tonight. I welcome all the farming organisations and members who are here tonight, especially Mr. Kevin Casey, our Macra manager in Cahir and indeed now in Dungarvan, and his Macra farmers. The future of farming is at stake here. We had all the promises and everything else but it is like shifting sands now. We do not know where we are.
I come from the Golden Vale, from a very mixed farm with tillage, cattle, sheep and potatoes - you name it.
The Government has not shown good faith to the farmers with the way it has treated the sheep scheme and the cattle scheme. Successive Governments have not shown good faith to farmers for a long time. When we had the Commissioner here last week, she went to a meeting alongside the Minister for agriculture and the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae. I was astonished to think we had a Judas in the camp. When it came to the Social Democrats, they went totally against the cause we have here. Ní neart go cur le chéile is a good speech from me. Stand together united. Then, lo and behold, who had a seat at the table? It was An Taisce. When the Minister brought the Commissioner to that table and the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, was there as well, what happened? The brave boyos from An Taisce insisted that the Minister and Minister of State leave the table and they had their own conversation with the Commissioner. We would not have to guess or to be a genius to find out what they said and what they told her. We have an NGO here, overpaid fat cats, who are destroying rural Ireland. They are destroying families trying to get planning permission. They are anti-farmer. We saw what happened in the court case in Kilkenny in the constituency of Deputy Cleere and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle with the Glanbia plant. It took it to the High Court with taxpayers' money. We have to get our house in order. Cut out the NGOs. Cut out those traitors who are destroying our country here and not supporting us, and then have a Government and all parties and none standing up for the farmers.
We have been talking about the fishing industry but it is too late. It will be gone. We are at D-day now and we have huge problems. We need to stand together. We do not have to have those NGOs at meetings like that last week. An Taisce - I will name it here again - would not allow the Minister or Minister of State hear what it was saying because it was talking us down. It was damaging farmers and trying to blame farmers for the pollution that was happening by Uisce Éireann, county councils and industry. We had pollution in Cork and nobody was responsible. If it was a farmer, it would be all over the papers and everything else. It is time that we were fair here to rural Ireland, to young farmers and old farmers alike. Stand with the farmers. Get rid of An Taisce and all of the other bodies that are melting us here, soaking us and destroying us in Europe and elsewhere.
8:25 am
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am glad to get the opportunity to talk here tonight on behalf of the motion. I welcome all of the farmers here from around the country. I see people here who were at an IFA meeting in Kilgarvan last night, would you believe? They are up here and they are very welcome.
All I have is my word and this Government promised me, going back to the start of the year, that it would be against Mercosur. This was one of the four things that I asked. All I have is my word and that is what it said to me, that it was against Mercosur. I would like the Minister to have been stronger here tonight when he was talking about it. I am only hoping, and I am depending on the Government to reject it because it is not fair. We are all under the one sky. They are doing what they are doing down in South America and if they can export beef in here against Irish farmers, that is not right and I will not stand for it any day of the week.
I am a farmer and have been for the past 40 or 50 years. My three sons are farming. I am still farming myself. I depend on farmers. A big part of the vote I got in County Kerry was from the farming organisations along with a lot of others. I really depend on the farmers. I look up to them. I know what they go through in the middle of the night when they are trying to calve a cow. I know what is involved day to day. When you beat everything else, you still have to contend with the weather. I know what each and every one of them goes through because I went through it myself, as did my father and all belonging to me.
We are depending on this Government and the Minister and Ministers of State for agriculture to get out there and make bloody sure that we are not accepting Mercosur. I know what it means. I know what it will mean to the farmers. As well, there is a problem with our poultry at the present time. Someone can export turkey or chicken in here. That is not fair. That is not what we were told at the very beginning.
I am very disappointed with the MEPs we elected in Europe. They have not been standing up to the European Parliament in this fight about Mercosur.
Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy. I call Deputy Aird.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Many of them have let us down. Rest assured, my heart is with each and every one of the farmers. I know what they are going through day and night and I will continue the fight against Mercosur.
Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy Healy-Rae.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I will take no dictation from Deputy Daly or Jennifer Whitmore calling me out because I was here at the start and I will be here at the finish.
Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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You are preventing Deputy Aird from speaking.
Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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It is a pity your brother is not here.
Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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What did you say? I am supporting the farmers against the Mercosur deal and I will stand firm on that.
Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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And the farmers fully understand that. I call Deputy Aird.
William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am glad to have an opportunity to say a few words this evening. I completely stand behind the farmers on this one and I am delighted there are so many of them here in the Public Gallery this evening, and rightly so. They are absolutely worn out between being in Newbridge or Naas a while ago and they are here again this evening.
This Mercosur thing is a very bad deal for this country. I am sorry that I am here on my own from Fine Gael but that is neither here nor there. I thank everybody who organised the motion and I have no problem with that either. It is timely and it is very important. We have to push back.
This is the first year for the past 25 or 30 years that I have seen farmers getting a return for beef cattle. We have lost over 200,000 suckler farmers. They are gone because farmers were not making money. That has given us the perilous situation we are in at the moment. Good and very good stock people were forced into dairying in this country and we are going to see worse than that. How can anybody, when we are net contributors to the EU, see what is happening out there and allow this beef to come in? Then we are told that if it suffers more than 10%, we will get a refund. Farmers do not want a refund. They want to get paid for the job that they do. None of them wants to get money in the post. We want to be allowed to produce beef, get a market value for it and just make a week's wages. That is all we want. Unless people like every one of us in the Dáil Chamber oppose this Mercosur deal, we are going to see farmers being wiped out of the beef industry. We will have nothing left in the country. The tillage farmers are on their knees at the moment. I beg the Government to give them money. Now, we will see the beef industry going and there will be nothing left only the dairy industry, and that is not good practice for farming.
Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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You are in the Government.
William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I have no problem with that. I know more about farming than you do, I can tell you that. What do you know about farming?
Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I know about farming. There you go. You did not know that, did you?
William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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You have a pair of wellingtons that never got dirty. I can tell you that.
Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I acknowledge the Deputies who tabled the motion and the genuine debate we have had here this evening. The Government recognises the real depth of concern surrounding the proposed EU Mercosur agreement. In particular, those concerns relate to Irish agriculture and our rural economy as well as the importance of ensuring sustainable adequate environmental protections. For these reasons, and in acknowledgement of the very important points that have been raised here this evening, the Government does not oppose the motion and I fully support that.
Personally, I am very familiar with the various iterations of EU Mercosur agreements, having spent 15 years in the European Parliament, and I opposed the various proposals put forward over many years on a number of grounds. These ranged from the potentially negative effects on the Irish beef trade to the destruction of part of the Amazon forest as well as, of course, crucially highlighting different production standards alongside the issue of compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements. This is why my Independent colleagues and I, when we signed up to the programme for Government, insisted that the Government oppose the current deal. In this regard, I want to quote exactly what the programme for Government states. It states the Government commits to "Work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal." Those listening to the contribution of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, at the beginning of the debate will have heard him say the Departments of foreign affairs and agriculture were continuing to examine the proposals in detail and would continue to engage with the European Commission to ensure Ireland's concerns were fully taken on board.
However, he goes on to say that, pending that examination and the completion of the ongoing engagement, Ireland's position on the EU Mercosur agreement remains as clearly outlined in the programme for Government, which is, I reiterate, to work "with like-minded countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur deal." I fully support this position and recognise and applaud the efforts of the Minister for agriculture and our Tánaiste in defending that position. Just yesterday, the Minister held bilateral meetings on the margins of the Council meeting with our Italian and French counterparts.
If this agreement were to be adopted, it would require a qualified majority vote in the Council and a simple majority vote in the European Parliament. We can see this process is ongoing. I say again that Ireland is committed to implementing what is in the programme for Government. That is what the Minister, Deputy Heydon, said and I am happy to reiterate it as a representative of the Independent group in Government.
Some Deputies have complained loudly about other Deputies not being here. That is a cheap shot and we all know it. I am here to represent those Deputies. Looking around, some of the Deputies who complained are no longer with us.
As mentioned by the Minister, Deputy Heydon, the broader international trade context is also important for Ireland. Trade and our international partnerships have always been fundamental to our economic model. Within that framework, we continue to advocate for solutions that are fair, sustainable and reflective of our values. That is both for Ireland and our EU trading partners.
Ireland has long championed free, fair and open trade. This has been central to our economic model and our farming community would absolutely support that position. Our EU membership connects us to a growing network of best-in-class free trade agreements, which support jobs, facilitate investment and uphold stringent EU standards in food safety, plant and animal health. They also advance environmental and human rights protections globally. We know that trade is essential to securing prosperity, sustaining employment and attracting investment. When new agreements are balanced and fair, it is in Ireland's interest to ratify them swiftly but, as emphasised by the Minister, Deputy Heydon, balance is always key. That remains central to the Government's approach.
The European Commission presented its final package on 3 September. Ireland repeatedly raised our concerns about climate, biodiversity and deforestation, as well as the need for strong protections and assurances for the incomes of Irish farmers. We have always been clear that such agreements must defend our most vulnerable sectors and that farmers' livelihoods must not be undermined through weak or ineffective environmental standards in other countries. As I said, this position is clearly outlined in the programme for Government, which we signed up to. I will again repeat that it states that Ireland will "Work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur deal." That has not changed. I am happy to say that here today.
I assure the Dáil that the Government, including the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and other Ministers, as well as officials, have continued to engage actively at EU level with both the European Commission and counterparts in member states, including like-minded countries, to voice our concerns and interrogate the outcomes of these negotiations. This engagement has been essential in assessing whether the agreement adequately addresses Ireland's priorities and to our efforts to negotiate more favourable outcomes. In terms of the overall package, it is important to say that this engagement is ongoing.
Any reasonable observer will agree that the Irish Government has worked strongly and assiduously to build and be part of that blocking minority. The Tánaiste and the Minister for agriculture had many discussions with like-minded countries in recent months. Those discussions continue. It is also important to say that for Ireland, there would be significant opportunities in software and telecoms services, financial services, engineering, life services, food and beverages and education. However, serious concerns remain about agriculture. They are crucial for me. Once again, I come back to what we committed to in the programme for Government.
This agreement has dealt with many of the issues raised by some of my colleagues about labour rights, sustainable production, women's economic empowerment and more. Crucially, the Paris Agreement would become an essential element of the deal, enforceable through dispute settlement and allowing for the suspension of the agreement in cases of serious breach. In that spirit, the Government will continue to engage constructively and assiduously with other member states and the Commission in the following weeks as we seek to ensure the best possible outcome for Ireland in the final vote.
8:35 am
Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome all the farmers who are here tonight. If the Mercosur deal is ratified by the European Union, it will sound the death knell for thousands of farmers in Ireland and across the European Union. The European Union's mission statement is to promote the well-being of its citizens by providing freedom, security and justice. This deal is contrary to these principles. Freedom is democracy. Democracy is not being served here. The deliberate splitting of the deal into two takes away the majority vote, thus undermining the process of natural law. Changing the deal from an associate agreement to a partnership one is underhanded, deceitful and a betrayal of the Irish farmers. The importation of 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry will wipe away financial security from every family farm in Ireland. It will result in huge losses of income and undermine the prospects and any ambitions of young people to continue farming into the future.
The people of Ireland are not naïve. They know this imported beef and poultry will not be subject to the same high standard as the Irish produce, bringing with it a high risk of banned pesticides, hormones and antibiotics being used and entering our food chain. There is a real possibility of long-term health problems down the line. This is why this deal must be scrapped. This deal is being done with one of the biggest beef barons in the world, JBS, which has been trading on the New York Stock Exchange since June of this year. Coincidentally, it also contributed over $5 million to the Trump presidential campaign. Over 75,000 ha of rainforest has been cleared this year alone. Deforestation is not only destroying the Earth's natural resources of oxygen but also trampling on the human rights of the indigenous people of that area, with some paying with their lives.
The farmers in my county of Wexford are bitterly opposed to this deal. They are fully supported by the Wexford IFA, including the current deputy president, Alice Doyle, and Jer O'Mahony, who stated on South East Radio that farmers are totally and utterly opposed to this deal. I welcome this Sinn Féin motion and I hope it will receive full support from all the TDs in the House.
Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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Irish agriculture, public health and the environment cannot be sacrificed for the sake of Ursula von der Leyen selling more German cars in South America.
The time has come for Government TDs from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents to stand with farmers instead of speaking out of both sides of their mouths, running with the hare and pulling with the hound. We have a large farming community in south Wicklow and north Wexford the members of which know that this deal is not good for them. The negotiations have concluded and the deal is done. Now is the time for people to decide if they are for or against it. It is very simple, get off the fence.
The Mercosur trade agreement is a terrible deal for agriculture. It is dangerous for Irish and EU consumers and deadly for the environment. Sinn Féin's motion calls for cross-party support to send a clear message that Ireland opposes this agreement. On Thursday last, I stood outside this House with all the farming organisations. I have met with farmers from across Wicklow and Wexford on many occasions. I welcome those who are here tonight. Not one of them supports this deal, which is absolutely wrong on every level and which will sound the death knell for Irish agriculture. The Government's response to date has been lacklustre. It has taken a sit-back-and-wait approach rather than fighting for the interests of Irish farmers and all consumers of Irish food. As already stated, the negotiations are now finished and the deal is done. Now it is time to decide and, basically, get off the fence.
Our beef is produced to world-class standards, yet we are forced to compete against cheap, inferior and substandard chemical beef from South America in respect of which there is little or no traceability. The agreement will devastate agriculture and accelerate the environmental destruction of rainforests, which are basically the lungs of the earth. All farming organisations are opposed to it. I salute them in the context of their strong presence here tonight. I ask the farmers of Ireland who do so to please stop voting for Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the parties that are selling them out. If this continues, it will be the equivalent of a turkey voting for Christmas in future.
We are sending a united message tonight that this deal must be stopped. It is not too late because the Government must do everything possible and work with other member states to use a blocking minority at the EU Council in December. This is a terrible deal for everybody.
8:45 am
Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome all the farming organisations here tonight. As a TD from rural Monaghan, I very much support them.
Time and again, Irish farming families have been tasked to rise to challenges, whether it is absorbing inflationary shocks within their already too meagre margins or meeting ever-increasing environmental challenges. They do exactly what is often asked of them. What they expect in return is a Government that puts in place a framework that they can work within. Successive Governments have failed to live up to their part of that agreement. It sometimes seems that farming families in Ireland are bearing witness to a national conversation as to whether their livelihood should be culled. This Government was party to trade negotiations which would see their produce replaced with a lower-quality South American alternative. Assurances offered by successive Ministers were not worth the paper they were written on. The so-called safeguard that emerged has been welcomed or endorsed by virtually no one. This deal will see upwards of 100,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry flood the European market. That produce will not be produced to Irish standards in the context of the use of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. It is grossly unfair to lecture Irish producers on the environment and animal health, on the one hand, while, on the other, allowing them to be undercut by those not held to the same standards.
This is a bad deal for Ireland and it must be rejected. I say to the Government of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Independents, that they need to stand up against Europe and not let the Mercosur deal happen.
Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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I thank na Teachtaí Kenny and Newsome Drennan for bringing forward this motion. I welcome the farmers to the Dáil.
This Mercosur deal has been dubbed "the cows for cars trade deal" by many who rightly believe this trade deal will overwhelmingly contribute to a climate crisis that is already out of control. Those who did the cows for cars deal do not care about the programme for Government. This deal is completely incompatible with our commitments under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a target we are already set to miss. It will significantly boost trade in goods that have a high environmental impact, such as soya, poultry and, in particular, beef, and contribute to widespread deforestation. Between 2001 and 2020, the Amazon rainforest decreased in size by over 54.2 million ha and lost almost 90% of its trees. That is an area the size of France. The Taoiseach made a virtue out of attending COP30, which is taking place in the home of the Amazon rainforest, to show other leaders how seriously Ireland is taking climate action. We cannot call for climate action and biodiversity protection at COP30 one week and wave through rainforest destruction the following week, all for the sake of a pat on the head from German car manufacturers.
Mercosur is going to hurt Irish beef and poultry farmers. The meat that will enter the EU market will not be subject to the same regulations as those that apply here, which means that there will be few or no safety standards. We need to ensure high standards across the board in the context of food quality and maintain our binding commitments. Our solidarity must lie with Irish family farmers, with the indigenous South American people defending the world's richest ecosystems and with the generations who will inherit the consequences of the decision that has been made. The Mercosur deal is not about trade; it is about agricultural vandalism.
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I thank all the farmers from every corner of the country who came to the Public Gallery tonight in order to listen and pay attention to this debate. When the Gallery is full, people often play to it. We have plenty of play actors in here tonight.
We are here on serious business, namely the Mercosur trade deal. As Deputy Fitzmaurice stated, the agriculture committee spoke with the Polish agriculture committee this evening. We are also speaking with the French agriculture committee and with committees in a number of other countries. We need to build alliances with like-minded countries. We are hearing on the grapevine that the Irish Government is not doing that to the level it needs to do it.
Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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We are also hearing that the Government will come in here and tell us one story but that when the officials go out to Europe, they put a different story to the Commission. That needs to change. That is the reality. People can deny that all they like, but we see it in the text of the Minister's speech. The Minister stated that the Government is concerned about the Mercosur trade deal and that it is looking at the text. It is very vague and irresponsible. We have to take this matter seriously. The only way we can do so is for all of us to work together.
We welcome the fact the Government did not oppose our motion tonight. However, we fear it will not oppose the Mercosur trade deal with the heartfelt commitment that is needed to win this battle on behalf of the farmers in the Public Gallery, the thousands of farmers throughout the country and the hundreds of thousands of consumers in Europe that need this deal to be blocked. That is why we are here tonight. We are here to ensure that this Government is held to account.
The Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, referred to the programme for Government. The programme for Government is no good if it does not deliver. The only way it will deliver is if the Minister, and we have a new Minister now with competency in the area of trade, Deputy McEntee, who will have to go out and work on this deal. I ask that we could meet the Minister. Certainly, I would like to meet her in the coming week to put it to her that all of us need to deliver on this.
Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputies know that is not standard practice.