Jury still out on whether blocking minority exists on Mercosur deal – Harris

The jury is still out on whether a blocking minority of EU member states exists to block the EU-Mercosur trade deal, An Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.

Responding to reporters at the Eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Thursday, he said that he has consistently said to farmers that Ireland will work with like-minded countries to stand up for Irish farmers on the Mercosur deal.

“I think the question in the here and now is does a blocking minority still exist? And I think the jury is a little out on that.

“We all hear different things as to different member states that may be supporting the deal, that may not be supporting the deal.

"The most important thing here is that we establish those facts in the first instance and also scrutinise the safeguards that are in place.

We have concerns in relation to Mercosur, we’ve been very clear in relation to that

“There are conversations going on. There are a whole variety of perspectives on this. We’re a country that believes in open trade. We believe in trade agreements, we’ve done well out of that.

"We’re also a country that knows the importance of farming to our own economy and also a country that believes very much in the highest of standards,” he said.

Brazil exposé

He cited the recent Irish Farmers Journal investigation in conjunction with the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) which exposed the veterinary medicine trade in Brazil and lack of tagging and traceability requirements for Brazilian cattle.

“We’ve seen things in the Irish Farmers Journal in recent days that I think have raised legitimate and important concerns,” he said.

“But the most important thing here is to be honest with everybody. Ireland alone can’t block a deal, indeed no country can.

"And the question is does a blocking minority exist. In the here and now, that’s still being established,” he said.

He said Ireland has expressed concerns in relation to the deal.

“We have to establish whether there is a blocking minority or not. I’ve never been interested in performative politics here. It’s about what Ireland can do for our farmers at the European Union.

"This week, we’ve shown what we can do when we work at a European level with extension to the nitrates derogation, a very, very big win not just for agriculture but the Irish economy,” he said.

However, he refused to say what way Ireland would vote on the deal.

We have to establish whether there is a blocking minority or not

“Ireland is currently taking stock of the situation in relation to is there a blocking minority. Does a blocking minority still exist?

“I think lots of countries are considering the safeguards. Does this address the concerns of farmers in some European countries, does that change the calculus at European level?

“We have concerns in relation to Mercosur, we’ve been very clear in relation to that. I think the Irish Farmers Journal has really given, through their own coverage, effect to what those concerns are.

“But we do need to take this step by step. I think what the appropriate thing to do is to discuss it across government but also crucially do what we said we’d do in our Programme for Government – discuss this with like-minded countries to establish what level of opposition exists and is that level of opposition equivalent to a blocking minority,” he said.

Read more

Commission to ramp up agri-food import checks at EU borders

Brazilian beef with banned hormones enters EU foodchain

Listen: undercover - Brazilian beef exposed 

Watch: Brazil's antibiotic trade exposed