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Mercosur negotiations have been labelled as “mockery” by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA).
In the context of the Government’s recent climate report, the organisation pointed out the hypocrisy of placing climate restrictions on EU farmers while allowing meat imports from South American countries with a questionable carbon footprint.
“Mercosur negotiations make a mockery of the EU climate strategy,” ICSA beef chair Edmund Graham said.
Importation of more South American beef will lead to further destruction of the rainforest
“The climate action plan indicates that Irish farmers will be expected to plant more trees.
"Yet the importation of more South American beef will lead to further destruction of the rainforest, with a lot more negative environmental impact than anything we can possibly compensate for in Europe.
“All this is being done so that German car manufacturers can sell even more cars in South America.
“There are also alarming reports of human rights abuses attributed to land use change in South America.
Graham concluded by saying that the ICSA would put pressure on members of the Oireachtas to vote down a trade deal if it came to the point of a Dáil vote.
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