Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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136. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the food safety standards which are in place to ensure the quality of South American beef entering the Irish market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66657/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Reports of the Farmers Journal investigation into the sale of hormones and antibiotics in Brazil raise important issues and merit careful examination.

We know that Brazilian beef already enters the EU market, and it is therefore important to ensure that none of the unregulated products referenced in the investigation are used in its production. While there is no evidence that this is the case, these reports reinforce the need for continued vigilance.

According to Central Statistics Office data for the last number of years, Ireland has not imported beef product in any significant quantities from Brazil. In 2024, imports from Brazil amounted to 97 tonnes of a total of 34,000 tonnes imported. Beef imports from other Mercosur countries was virtually nil.

The EU has very stringent standards, known as SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) standards, to protect human, animal and plant health. These are amongst the highest in the world, and the European Commission has insisted that they are not negotiable. These SPS standards remain unaltered regardless of any trade agreements concluded by the EU.

The Government is very firmly of the view that these EU SPS standards must continue to be rigorously upheld for the benefit of European consumers. It is also important that the European Commission continues to engage with the Brazilian authorities to ensure that this is the case.

Throughout the EU-Mercosur negotiation process, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade - who has lead responsibility for trade policy - and I have actively engaged with both the European Commission and with other Member States to voice Ireland’s concerns in relation to the EU-Mercosur Agreement.

Since my appointment as Minister earlier this year, I have raised these concerns at Agri-Fish Council meetings and also with like-minded Member States through bilateral meetings on the margins of these Council meetings. In recent months, I have met with my French, Austrian, Latvian and Polish counterparts to exchange views. Most recently, I have met with my Italian and French counterparts en marge of the November Agri-Fish Council meeting in Brussels.