Double standards at play in EU-Mercosur trade deal
Is the EU seriously considering importing beef which we know is not produced to the same high standards as Irish/EU beef? – Denis Guiry, Derry, Berrings, Co Cork.
DEAR SIR: With the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations resuming this week it is very difficult to ignore the very blatant double standards at play here. It is difficult to fathom how the importation of Brazilian beef into the EU could even be considered, let alone be part of these negotiations.
Is the EU seriously considering importing beef, which we know is not produced to the same high standards as Irish/ EU beef from a food safety and environmental point of view?
We know that the production of 1kg of Brazilian beef will increase the carbon footprint by four times more than what it would to produce 1kg of beef in Ireland due to our grass-based diet and advances in genetics, etc.
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We know that when it comes to traceability, Brazilian beef leaves a lot to be desired, and the presence of antibiotic residue would be a very real possibility, which wouldn’t help our cause in tackling the very serious issue of antimicrobial resistance.
Brexit implications
We know that this would be another nail in the coffin for the Irish beef industry, which will also have the implications of Brexit to contend with. Irish beef farmers are doing their utmost to produce beef to the highest standards from both a food safety and environmental point of view and, as a result, the quality of Irish beef is recognised as second to none the world over. Is this all going to be ignored because the German car industry appears to have a blinkered determination to do more business in South America?
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DEAR SIR: With the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations resuming this week it is very difficult to ignore the very blatant double standards at play here. It is difficult to fathom how the importation of Brazilian beef into the EU could even be considered, let alone be part of these negotiations.
Is the EU seriously considering importing beef, which we know is not produced to the same high standards as Irish/ EU beef from a food safety and environmental point of view?
We know that the production of 1kg of Brazilian beef will increase the carbon footprint by four times more than what it would to produce 1kg of beef in Ireland due to our grass-based diet and advances in genetics, etc.
We know that when it comes to traceability, Brazilian beef leaves a lot to be desired, and the presence of antibiotic residue would be a very real possibility, which wouldn’t help our cause in tackling the very serious issue of antimicrobial resistance.
Brexit implications
We know that this would be another nail in the coffin for the Irish beef industry, which will also have the implications of Brexit to contend with. Irish beef farmers are doing their utmost to produce beef to the highest standards from both a food safety and environmental point of view and, as a result, the quality of Irish beef is recognised as second to none the world over. Is this all going to be ignored because the German car industry appears to have a blinkered determination to do more business in South America?
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