President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen with the leaders of the South American member states at the signing of the Mercosur trade deal in Paraguay.
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The Mercosur trade deal continues to rumble on in the European houses of power. Revised safeguards were voted through by the European Parliament this week, which means that if the volume of imports increases by over 5% or the European price dips below 5%, an investigation will be triggered.
Both measures are based on three-year averages. While it’s good to see the safeguards implemented, the problem on price will be proving that the Mercosur beef is the cause. Price reductions can happen for a multitude of reasons, which are sometimes not clear cut.
The investigation could also take longer than anticipated. We are still waiting on the EU Commission audit report on the beef recall which took place in November 2025.
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Provisional application of the trade deal is still on the table, but sources in Brussels are saying it is becoming an increasingly divisive issue among some MEPs, who say side-tracking the parliament’s democratic rights will weaken the European president’s hand on other issues and votes.
As well as Mercosur it now looks like a trade deal with Australia is about to happen. In our agribusiness section this week we find out the ambitions of the Australian red meat industry on access for beef and sheep meat. If this is achieved, it will mean another competitor for Irish beef exports in the EU as well as in the UK, where Australian beef and sheep meat is now well established following their trade deal with the UK.
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The Mercosur trade deal continues to rumble on in the European houses of power. Revised safeguards were voted through by the European Parliament this week, which means that if the volume of imports increases by over 5% or the European price dips below 5%, an investigation will be triggered.
Both measures are based on three-year averages. While it’s good to see the safeguards implemented, the problem on price will be proving that the Mercosur beef is the cause. Price reductions can happen for a multitude of reasons, which are sometimes not clear cut.
The investigation could also take longer than anticipated. We are still waiting on the EU Commission audit report on the beef recall which took place in November 2025.
Provisional application of the trade deal is still on the table, but sources in Brussels are saying it is becoming an increasingly divisive issue among some MEPs, who say side-tracking the parliament’s democratic rights will weaken the European president’s hand on other issues and votes.
As well as Mercosur it now looks like a trade deal with Australia is about to happen. In our agribusiness section this week we find out the ambitions of the Australian red meat industry on access for beef and sheep meat. If this is achieved, it will mean another competitor for Irish beef exports in the EU as well as in the UK, where Australian beef and sheep meat is now well established following their trade deal with the UK.
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