Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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121. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his engagements regarding the Mercosur Trade Agreement and the negative impact it would have on Irish farming families. [25490/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to supporting free, fair and open trade. Indeed, recent developments in the global trading environment have highlighted the importance of market diversification via an expanded set of EU free trade agreements. EU FTAs support more opportunity for exports and investment, help support jobs and growth at home, maintain strict EU standards on food safety, animal and plant health, and support better environmental and human rights standards around the world.

We have always been clear, however, that such 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. Our position is clearly outlined in the Programme for Government, which states that the Government will work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal.

Since the Commission announced the conclusion of negotiations, officials from my Department and other departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, have been working together to carefully analyse the text of the additional legal instrument addressing sustainability commitments.

I wish to assure the Deputies that I and my officials have continued to engage at EU level – with both the European Commission and with counterparts in EU Member States – to voice our concerns with the agreement and to interrogate the outcome of negotiations to assess if our concerns have been adequately addressed.

Engagements with the Commission and with counterparts in other EU Member States are continuing as we seek sufficient clarification on the priority areas of climate, biodiversity, deforestation and the protection of farmer’s incomes in advance of any final decision on the Agreement. Ireland’s position on the EU-Mercosur Agreement remains as clearly outlined in the Programme for Government, to work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal.