'We're voting no!' - Kilkenny welcome for Ireland's EU trade deal decision

There has been widespread reaction in Kilkenny to the government’s announcement today (Thursday) that Ireland will vote against the EU Mercosur trade deal.

Leas Ceann Comhairle and Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow–Kilkenny, John McGuinness, welcomed the announcement by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste confirming that Ireland will vote against the EU–Mercosur trade agreement this Friday.

Deputy McGuinness said the decision reflects long-standing and well-founded concerns raised by Irish farmers, farm organisations and rural communities about the serious consequences the deal would have for Irish agriculture, food standards and the rural economy.

“I strongly welcome today’s announcement. It is the right decision for Ireland and, in particular, for our farmers,” Deputy McGuinness said. 

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“The Mercosur deal, as currently drafted, poses a real and unacceptable threat to Irish beef and poultry producers and undermines the high standards that Irish farmers work to every day.”

Macra President, Josephine O’Neill from Bennettsbridge, expressed deep concern about the potential consequences of the proposed EU–Mercosur trade agreement for Irish agriculture.

“The Mercosur agreement poses a very real threat to Irish farmers, particularly to the beef and poultry sectors that are already under immense pressure,” Ms O’Neill said.

 “Allowing increased imports of agricultural produce from countries operating to vastly different standards undermines the livelihoods of family farms and weakens the integrity of Irish and European food production.

“This is not a level playing field. Irish farmers are being asked to do more every year, more regulation, more compliance, more environmental ambition, yet they are expected to compete with imports produced to standards that would not be permitted here,” she said.

 Macra is particularly concerned about the long-term impact the agreement could have on young farmers and rural communities.

The President of ICMSA and Dunbell farmer, Denis Drennan, agreed that the Government’s decision that Ireland would vote against the Mercosur Agreement was the right decision on both economic and environmental grounds. 

Mr. Drennan said that there were certain occasions and circumstances in which basic principles of fairness and consistency had to override hype and arm-twisting and opposing Mercosur was precisely one of those occasions.

Describing it as “the right decision both economically and environmentally,” Mr Drennan said: “The Government left it very late, but has come down on the right side of what is a head-to-head between fundamental principles of fairness and consistency and the kind of slippery expediency that seems to be the dominant approach in far too many situations now. 

“ICMSA and Irish farmers in general have never been against fair trade; the point is that – as regards food and particularly beef – the agreement with the Mercosur was not and could not be fair. We have no way of ensuring that the beef that would be imported into the EU under the agreement would be of the same standards of traceability and environmentally sustainable production that the EU insists upon for its own farmers.”

In the event of the deal being voted through by other Member States tomorrow, Mr Drennan said the focus must switch to the EU Parliament and Ireland should work with MEPS from other Member States who share our commitment to basic fairness and consistency to block the deal

IFA President Francie Gorman said the confirmation this morning that the Irish Government will vote no to the Mercosur deal is the right decision.

“There’s a clear commitment in the Programme for Government that our Government would oppose the deal. The so-called safeguards put forward by the EU Commission do not give any assurances that Brazilian beef will meet EU standards,” he said.

“In our discussions with members of Government over the last 48 hours, we re-stated that opposition to the Mercosur deal was the only credible position the Government could adopt. Farmers would have felt let down by any other approach.”

Mr Gorman said IFA’s campaign opposing Mercosur will continue after tomorrow’s meeting of the EU Ambassadors.

Protest

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin TD, Natasha Newsome, has confirmed that Sinn Féin representatives will attend a major protest against the EU-Mercosur deal in Athlone on Saturday, 10 January, organised by Independent Ireland.

 Deputy Newsome Drennan said the deal threatens the future of the Irish family farm, Irish rural jobs, consumer confidence and the environmental standards people in Ireland rightly expect.

Deputy Newsome Drennan said: “Sinn Féin will stand with farmers, farm families and rural communities in Athlone on Saturday 10 January to oppose the EU-Mercosur deal.

“This deal is a direct threat to the future of the Irish family farm, to Irish rural jobs, to Irish consumer confidence and to the environmental standards people in Ireland rightly expect."