The European Parliament’s vote to refer the Mercosur trade agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and subsequently delay the deal has been welcomed by farm organisations and politicians alike.

The Parliament voted by 334 votes to 324 this Wednesday lunchtime to refer the deal to the ECJ, a move which could delay ratification by up to two years or derail it completely.

Speaking from Strasbourg where the vote took place, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman said the outcome lays down an important marker for how trade issues are negotiated.

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“The referral was the right decision for this trade deal and future trade deals. Farm organisations across Europe, as part of COPA, lobbied morning, noon and night and it worked.

“When we met our fellow EU farm leaders in Brussels last week, I knew that the vote would be close. This is a great result for the European umbrella farm group Copa-Cogeca,” he said.

Gorman added that the ECJ will now examine the legalities of the deal.

“For this and for future trade deals, it is important that the legality is established before any further steps. The EU Commission has been too hasty in trying to push this through,” he said.

“We also had a show of strength in Strasbourg this week as thousands of farmers descended for the meeting of the European Parliament,” Gorman said.

ICSA

Also in Strasbourg for Tuesday’s French farm organisation protest and Wednesday’s vote, president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Seán McNamara said the result is a major victory for farmers, democracy and common sense.

The ICSA president added that Mercosur is far from a done deal and sustained farmer pressure is having a real impact.

“That is a clear signal that serious concerns remain and that this agreement cannot simply be waved through,” he said.

“Anyone claiming Mercosur was inevitable has been proven wrong. Farmers were told time and again that this was a done deal and that resistance was pointless. We never accepted that and today shows that standing firm and keeping the pressure on does work.”

He added that any move to split the agreement and provisionally apply the trade elements of the deal while the legal process is ongoing would be completely unacceptable.

“To try to push this through while the court is examining it would be a slap in the face to democracy and to every farmer who has taken the time to stand up and be heard,” he stated.

“This fight is far from over, but today is proof that this deal can be challenged and beaten. We will not be backing down.”

ICMSA

Also welcoming the vote, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Denis Drennan said the decision a recognition of the fundamental contradictions that the Mercosur agreement papered over.

Drennan added that he is confident the judges will look at the agreement in a much more sceptical and balanced fashion that goes beyond what was in the commercial interests of “corporations and Eurocrats in the Commission”.

MEPs

Among the Irish MEPs welcoming the vote was Billy Kelleher, who said it is clear there are issues on many fronts.

“The issues of sub-optimal beef entering the EU, supporting possible deforestation of the Amazon and the potential removal from the land of indigenous communities means that the deal is not acceptable.

“We can and should have been able to sign a Mercosur deal that found solutions to these problems, especially the principle of mirroring of standards whereby farmers in Mercosur countries should match the standards EU farmers have to adhere to.

“Sadly, the powers that be chose to plough ahead and ignore these very real issues,” he said.

Kelleher added that the Commission must now reflect on its own actions, respect the democratic will of the Parliament and await the outcome from ECJ.

MEP Nina Carbery was also among those welcoming the delay to the trade agreement.

“I have consistently made my position clear on Mercosur. I am opposed to Mercosur and this agreement will not pass with my support.

“Our farmers deserve a level playing field, and with this agreement, that simply does not exist,” she added.

Sinn Féin MEPs Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion also welcomed the decision and said Mercosur is a deal is bad for the climate, bad for health and bad for Irish farmers.

Boylan said the EU sacrificed key deforestation rules to try and get the deal over the line and added that human rights groups had raised concerns about the deal.

“Mercosur is a rotten trade deal that really gets worse the more you read about it.

“This is a deal to let the EU sell German cars into South America, but they’re throwing climate protections, food safety standards, human rights and farmers all under the bus to do it.

“We’ve already seen food from Mercosur countries pulled from shelves in the EU because it was unsafe for human consumption. It’s mind boggling for them to support a deal that does so much harm,” she said,

Boylan’s colleague Kathleen Funchion added that the Parliament vote shows the deal is far from final.

“Claims that we must accept Mercosur in the name of trade diversification, particularly in the context of global instability, cannot be allowed to become a smokescreen for ramming through a rotten trade deal.

“We will continue to stand by Irish farmers by opposing this toxic trade deal at every opportunity,” she added.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on agriculture Martin Kenny TD said this is a major victory in the battle against Mercosur, but pressure must be kept on the Government to ensure that this disastrous deal is stopped once and for all.

“This is a major victory in the battle against this ruinous deal. It is a victory for consumers, farmers and the environment.

“With this referral to the ECJ, it now gives the Irish Government the time and opportunity to engage with MEPs from other EU member states and seek their support in opposing this deal if it comes back before the European Parliament.

“We cannot take our eye off the ball. We must keep the pressure on and ensure that this deal is stopped once and for all,” Kenny added.