There is “no question” of Fianna Fáil supporting the ratification of the Mercosur deal without sufficient commitments on trade, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said.

“From Fianna Fáil’s perspective, there is no question of ratifying a Mercosur trade agreement without satisfactory and legally binding commitments on matters relating to trade and sustainable development, including climate, biodiversity and deforestation protections,” he said.

Minister McConalogue added that Ireland will review the legal text when it receives it to ensure the concerns raised with the original agreement in 2019 have been addressed.

The Minister was responding to questions from the Irish Farmers Journal on whether or not he supports the deal’s ratification.

Comprehensive

The additional instrument, which was being negotiated between the EU and Mercosur countries, needs to be comprehensive in its scope, McConalogue added.

Fianna Fáil leader Michaél Martin - whose party will occupy the most seats in the next Dáil - previously told the Irish Farmers Journal he did not see the logic in “reducing food production in Ireland but you increase it in the Americas”.

Taoiseach Simon Harris previously said he did not support the Mercosur deal in its current form.

The deal has been met with strong criticism from some member states, with France and Poland its most forthright opponents.

There is also opposition in Ireland, Austria, Italy and the Netherlands.