Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I commend Senator Alice-Mary Higgins and the Civil Engagement group for tabling this important motion and welcome the chance to speak to it. I am glad to see that it has received broad support from other Senators.

I wish to outline my deep reservations concerning the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA. These reservations are also held by European civil society organisations, trade unions, consumer organisations, anti-poverty networks, NGOs and farming organisations, European organisations that have the best interests of European peoples at heart. It may not be widely known that there are also deep reservations within Canada and civil society groups there about the deal. The Council of Canadians has published a report containing many concerns within Canada which I will address.

Why are there such deep reservations about this and similar deals among such a broad base of civil organisations? This deal was negotiated and developed behind closed doors. Why is such a deal, with has massive implications for the economies and business sectors of all European member states, being conducted and negotiated in this manner? Where is the transparency and what is there to hide? The single biggest group in Ireland which will be affected by the deal is farmers. The CETA will allow 80,000 tonnes of pork and 50,000 tonnes of beef to be released tariff free into the European Union. We have Senators who eloquently argue the case for the farming community almost every day that we sit in this Chamber. Can those who will vote against the motion not join up the dots? Ireland's agriculture sector is far too important and under enough pressure as it is without entering into this deal and failing to carry out adequate due diligence to fully investigate the full consequences. If the Government was to put up a fraction of the resistance to this deal as it did in rejecting €13 billion, plus interest, from Apple in a positive ruling for citizens from the European authorities, we would be in a much better place and truly looking after citizens' interests.

There are many concerns about the ratification of this deal, but I will concentrate on agriculture. The main concern, apart from the implications in terms of economic activity for farmers, is the impact on food safety standards. There are significant differences between the regulatory practices of Canada and the European Union that could jeopardise EU food safety and production standards. EU farmers will now be competing with a Canadian agribusiness sector that has no animal welfare penalties to face and much lower safety standards. This is an absolute kick in the teeth for Irish farmers who are on the verge of collapse from the weight of bureaucracy and paperwork that they face as a result of EU regulations. Canada has a very different agricultural model from that in Ireland. There are not the numerous green family-run farms that take absolute pride in their homesteads. In Canada there is large-scale agricultural production, with half of all food produced coming from just 5% of farms. The report from the Council of Canadians details areas where Canadian regulations are much weaker than those in the European Union - genetically modified foods, pesticides, food dyes, chlorinated chicken and hormones. The Fine Gael Party, through its representatives in the European Parliament and its actions and behaviour, is selling out Irish farmers and the people. My colleague in the European Parliament, Matt Carthy, and the GUE-NGL group recently put forward a proposal that would have allowed the agriculture and rural development committee to submit a formal opinion on the CETA deal, but it was blocked by the European People's Party, of which Fine Gael is a member. I ask the following questions again. Why did this happen? What is there to hide? Where is the transparency?

I reiterate my support and that of Sinn Féin for the motion. I call on the Government to respect the democratic rights of the citizens of this state, to bring the issue of ratification of the deal before the Dáil and the Seanad, if necessary, and, under no circumstances, to agree to its provisional ratification within European Union structures.

On the point made about people being centre-right, left or centre-left, in fairness to the Civil Engagement group, the track record of its Senators across civil society in Ireland is beyond question. Without a shadow of doubt, Senators represent the best interests of the people, with a balance of views across society. Let us consider their counterparts in Canada against the interests of big business. Let us be frank - there is the debate in the United States about Wall Street against main street and access to the corridors of power, be it in Washington DC, Brussels or Ottawa. That is what dictates what is included in these agreements. Those are the interests that are being protected. If the Government is stating that is not the case, conduct the negotiations in open and clear view and heed the genuine concerns and opposition of civil society.

I have heard kind words from the Senators who will vote against the motion. They spoke about how wonderful and commendable motion it was. I ask them to vote with the Civil Engagement group and against big business. I ask them to vote in favour of the interests of those who represent the views of the Irish people rather than the corporations, the representatives of which hide in the corridors of power to gain access to those in power in the major political centres, be it Brussels, Washington DC, Ottawa in this case and elsewhere. That is the choice for the Senators iin question and how they vote will speak volumes about where their priorities lie.