The downsides of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement have been overhyped in Ireland and the Government was wrong to oppose the deal, according to Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly.

Kelly maintains that claims made around lower tariff rates for South American beef under Mercosur had been similarly cited in the EU’s trade negotiations with Canada, but that the implementation of the Canadian deal had not seen these fears play out in reality.

“Mercosur is emotive but I judge things on facts. The facts don’t bear out the emotion,” the MEP told the Irish Farmers Journal in Brussels last week.

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Kelly said that EU beef exports to Canada “went up tenfold, not the other way around” with the relaxation of tariffs since 2017 due to Canadian consumers seeking out European goods on shelves.

“Are we going to vote down a trade agreement where 99% of businesses benefit hugely in a market of 270m people on a supposed fear that was said about Canada but never transpired.”

Critical

Kelly said he was “critical of the Government” for voting against the deal, saying that “they went with the emotion and the publicity generated by the protests”.

The Ireland south MEP called for “strict and clear rules” to be drawn up on policing protest actions in response to this month’s farmer, contractor and haulier protests to avoid protesters holding the country “ransom”.

“There is a danger and there are those who will latch onto it at every opportunity so we need to get a bit smart.

“I also think we need to get in some rules in relation to how protests are conducted. You nor I can park a car in the middle of the street and walk away.”