The Government must urgently bring clarity to where exactly it stands on the proposed EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) demanded at the gates of Leinster House on Thursday last.
While the Programme for Government commits to “opposing the current Mercosur trade deal”, the ICSA members protesting voiced concern that this phrasing leaves the door open to a Government U-turn on its opposition if even minor tweaks are made to the deal.
The ICSA’s president Seán McNamara told Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon “in no uncertain terms” that the deal must be opposed outright due to the threat lower tariff rate South American beef poses to Irish and EU beef prices.
McNamara said that Government’s position of opposing the “current” version of the deal, as it pledged in the Programme for Government, requires clarity as to which amendments could see Ireland become a backer of the deal.
“We haven’t learned about the alternative form and that’s what I want to know – what is this alternative form,” McNamara told the Irish Farmers Journal. “Farming was going well up to now this year, there was a bit of an incentive there for young people to come back into farming.
“Now, it’s going totally the opposite. What farmer would want to see his son or daughter come in if we see income fall so much because of CAP, Mercosur and everything else.”
The ICSA president expressed dissatisfaction with the safeguard clauses added into the deal by the European Commission, which he warned could see beef prices fall 9% per year without kicking in. McNamara’s concern about the Government’s position with the deal was echoed by the association’s general secretary Hugh Farrell who stated that commitments from Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon on opposing the deal “in its present form” leaves the ICSA “worried”.
“What does it mean? Because if we took a step in any direction, would that be enough to let it through or not? We don’t know where that line is.”
ICSA is against the Mercosur trade deal. \ Claire Nash
United opposition
The protest was joined by other groups, with Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association vice-president John Joe Fitzgerald and Irish Farmers’ Association deputy leader Alice Doyle among those showing support.
“We don’t trust the safeguards,” Doyle said when citing a 2024 report from the Commission’s food safety wing that found Brazilian beef’s hormone-free guarantees could not be proven.
The INHFA’s Fitzgerald warned that Mercosur would prove a “bad deal for small farmers in the west of Ireland” and for “beef farmers in general”.
“We saw it years ago with the sugar beet. We lost a great industry in this country, we are going down the same route with our suckler beef,” he added.
L-R ICSA president Seán McNamara, former president Dermot Kelleher, ICMSA's Ronan Gallagher, ICSA general secretary Hugh Farrell, senator Paul Daly, IFA deputy president Alice Doyle and the INHFA vice president John Joe Fitzgerald. \ Claire Nash
The Government must urgently bring clarity to where exactly it stands on the proposed EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) demanded at the gates of Leinster House on Thursday last.
While the Programme for Government commits to “opposing the current Mercosur trade deal”, the ICSA members protesting voiced concern that this phrasing leaves the door open to a Government U-turn on its opposition if even minor tweaks are made to the deal.
The ICSA’s president Seán McNamara told Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon “in no uncertain terms” that the deal must be opposed outright due to the threat lower tariff rate South American beef poses to Irish and EU beef prices.
McNamara said that Government’s position of opposing the “current” version of the deal, as it pledged in the Programme for Government, requires clarity as to which amendments could see Ireland become a backer of the deal.
“We haven’t learned about the alternative form and that’s what I want to know – what is this alternative form,” McNamara told the Irish Farmers Journal. “Farming was going well up to now this year, there was a bit of an incentive there for young people to come back into farming.
“Now, it’s going totally the opposite. What farmer would want to see his son or daughter come in if we see income fall so much because of CAP, Mercosur and everything else.”
The ICSA president expressed dissatisfaction with the safeguard clauses added into the deal by the European Commission, which he warned could see beef prices fall 9% per year without kicking in. McNamara’s concern about the Government’s position with the deal was echoed by the association’s general secretary Hugh Farrell who stated that commitments from Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon on opposing the deal “in its present form” leaves the ICSA “worried”.
“What does it mean? Because if we took a step in any direction, would that be enough to let it through or not? We don’t know where that line is.”
ICSA is against the Mercosur trade deal. \ Claire Nash
United opposition
The protest was joined by other groups, with Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association vice-president John Joe Fitzgerald and Irish Farmers’ Association deputy leader Alice Doyle among those showing support.
“We don’t trust the safeguards,” Doyle said when citing a 2024 report from the Commission’s food safety wing that found Brazilian beef’s hormone-free guarantees could not be proven.
The INHFA’s Fitzgerald warned that Mercosur would prove a “bad deal for small farmers in the west of Ireland” and for “beef farmers in general”.
“We saw it years ago with the sugar beet. We lost a great industry in this country, we are going down the same route with our suckler beef,” he added.
L-R ICSA president Seán McNamara, former president Dermot Kelleher, ICMSA's Ronan Gallagher, ICSA general secretary Hugh Farrell, senator Paul Daly, IFA deputy president Alice Doyle and the INHFA vice president John Joe Fitzgerald. \ Claire Nash
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