The parliament of the French-speaking Wallonia region voted in favour of a list of conditions drafted with Belgium’s national government on Thursday.

European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström is now keen to ink the deal with Canada as soon as possible.

A Belgian declaration to be attached to the country’s signature to the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada raises issues with the special court to be established to police the deal and introduces protective clauses for agricultural products.

If we do not trade, that industry dies

Speaking in the Seanad this week, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed came out strongly in favour of the treaty. “The fundamental principle is that we need to trade. We need to get 90% of what we produce off the island,” he said. The Irish agri-food sector’s reliance on exports means that “if we do not trade, that industry dies”, he added.

“In principle, therefore, our starting position must be pro-trade, in favour of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, pro-TTIP and in favour of any other trade deal that, on balance, reflects our best interests,” Minister Creed said.

He added that CETA does reflect Ireland’s best interests and said: “Anybody who has looked at this from the perspective of Irish agriculture would undoubtedly conclude that the interests of Irish agriculture are best served by CETA.”

However, he also said that “we need to remain vigilant on the detail” on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US and take into account the cumulative impact of multiple trade deals, especially on the beef sector.

The last thing we need is more beef being imported

Sinn Féin senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn countered that CETA “would flood the market with an extra 50,000 tonnes of beef which will inevitably create more volatility”.

He referred to a warning from IFA livestock chair Angus Woods on a visit to Brussels last week that “the EU market cannot absorb large volumes of additional imports as proposed by the Commission in trade deals such as CETA, TTIP and Mercosur”.

“If our farmers are against it, then why is our Government determined to see it being signed?” Mac Lochlainn asked.

ICSA president Patrick Kent expressed disappointment on Friday that Wallonia had bowed to “bullying” on CETA. “Given the uncertainty around Brexit, the last thing we need is more beef being imported,” he said. The ICSA is calling for all trade talks to be frozen until the end of Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK.

Odile Evans contributed reporting for this story.

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