MEP Ciaran Mullooly has met with French Prime Minister François Bayrou in Paris to discuss their mutual opposition to the Mercosur trade deal.

France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot was also in attendance at the meeting.

Following the talks, the Irish MEP welcomed the commitment from France to oppose the Mercosur agreement both in the European Parliament and at the forthcoming EU Council of Trade Ministers meeting in September.

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“The French Prime Minister François Bayrou has told me the French are not softening their opposition to Mercosur, despite claims to the contrary.

“Bayrou’s government is under pressure in France not just from farmers, but I met with him and his Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Paris last night, and we discussed the sort of damage this rotten trade deal will do to the beef and white meat sector."

Mullooly added that he asked Bayrou to hold out and to make efforts to move the Italian government to oppose the deal.

“Bayrou says he fully understands the deep concerns over the lack of traceability in beef coming out of Brazil and Barrot talks of the need for a new and more powerful EU inspection regime, which I agree with.”

France has also been to the forefront in calling for mirror clauses in EU trade policy, rules that would require imported products to meet the same environmental, food safety and animal-welfare standards as those applied to European farmers.

"It is clear that Brazil is not currently meeting these conditions,” Mullooly said.

Irish position

The midlands MEP added that the Irish Government’s official position must be of total rejection of the deal.

“This opposition is hardwired into the current Programme for Government. It represents a cast-iron commitment by Ireland to reject Mercosur outright.

Mullooly welcomed the work of Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon in building a wider coalition of like-minded EU countries to coordinate a united front against Mercosur.

“Some of my fellow MEPs in Brussels insist on saying this battle on Mercosur is over, but I will never give up and will meet more MEPs who have previously abstained on the issue when I go to the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday,” he added.