The best that could be said about the 11th WTO council in Buenos Aires this week was that stalemate prevailed with the US in no mood to seriously engage. That made the EU-Mercosur trade deal discussions, which were meant to be peripheral, the main event.

Huge pressure was put on the EU to up its already generous offer on beef and sugar to secure the deal, which the Directorate General for Trade of the European Commission wants so badly.

Thankfully, agriculture was not forced to compromise further. But there is no doubt the pressure will intensify ahead of further meetings scheduled for January.

The political pressure from the larger industrialised EU states is strong, with many willing to sacrifice EU beef for BMW sales opportunities in South America.

However, to get this deal would seriously damage an EU beef industry that is set to become 116% self-sufficient in the post-Brexit era.

Mairead McGuinness, MEP and senior vice-president of the European Parliament, as well as IFA president Joe Healy and IFA livestock chair Angus Woods made the long journey to Buenos Aires to defend Irish and EU farmers.

They will travel back with some satisfaction but the political pressure must be maintained ahead of the next round of talks.