Fight against Mercosur is far from over– Kilkenny TD

Kilkenny Sinn Féin TD Natasha Newsome Drennan was speaking following the national rally against the Mercosur Trade Deal in Athlone on Saturday and in advance of the Sinn Féin Dáil motion that calls on government to support a legal challenge to the deal by members of the EU parliament, to mandate all Irish MEPs to vote against the deal, and for the government to engage directly with MEPs across the EU to urge them to reject the deal in the European Parliament.

"On Saturday in Athlone we saw a glimpse of the strength of rural Ireland. Where thousands upon thousands travelled from the four corners of the Island to say no to Mercosur. The decision of the EU Council to approve the Mercosur trade agreement show how little they care for Irish Agriculture, the environment and public health," Deputy Newsome Drennan.

"Last week we saw the Irish Food Authority issue a recall for Brazilian beef on sale in Ireland due to the present of banned drugs that have links to cancer. But this recall was pointless as the production in question were on sale last October and had already been well consumed.

 Read next: Major upgrade works to cause traffic disruption on Waterford Road in Kilkenny

"The Irish Food Authority testing cannot effectively test the Brazilian beef currently on sale in here, if Mercosur is pass, we will be completely overwhelmed.

"This EU Council’s decision undermines food safety standards in the EU and puts EU consumers' health at risk. While the Irish government voted against the deal, they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to this position by the combined opposition, the farm organisations and some of their own backbench TDs.

“But the public will see right through Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s manoeuvring. It was at the 11th hour that they cynically announced, in an act of political cowardice, that they would vote against Mercosur - only when they were safe in the knowledge that the vote would pass because of Italy’s decision to support it.

“We in Sinn Fein had been calling on this government for months to state their position on Mercosur and for years we have been calling on successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments to take a leadership role in opposition to the deal.

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil repeatedly failed to stand up and be counted, and steadfastly refused to engage seriously with like-minded EU member states in forming a blocking minority.

“While the EU Council vote is disappointing and should be condemned, the campaign to put an end to this disastrous deal is not over.

“There is still a legal challenge to the deal by members of the EU parliament, including Sinn Fein’s MEPS, and there will be a vote in the EU parliament on the deal.

The motion would also mandate all their party MEPs to vote against the deal, and for the government to engage directly with MEPs across the EU to urge them to reject the deal in the EU parliament.