Latest news with #EU-MercosurTradeAgreement
Agriland
5 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Former farm leaders oppose Mercosur deal at Tullamore Show
Former leaders of two of the country's leading farm organisations joined forces at the 2025 Tullamore Show and FBD National Livestock Show to opposed the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. Former Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president John Dillon and former Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) president Pat O'Rourke – now a political and agriculture adviser to MEP Ciaran Mullooly - made a joint effort at the event on Sunday (August 10) to warn about the deal. The two men said that said the Mercosur deal will have a "devastating impact" on Irish beef farmers. If ratified by EU member states, the deal would grant significantly increased access for South American beef into the European market. Speaking at the show, the two former farm leaders highlighted what they called a "massive price gap" between Brazilian and Irish beef, which they said was driven by a differences in production standards. Dillon claimed: "The farmgate price for beef in Brazil is just €3.20/kg. In Ireland, it's €9.50/kg. That difference is explained by the lower animal welfare standards, use of growth hormones, and weaker environmental protections in Mercosur countries. "The structural disadvantages for Irish farmers are equally stark. While farms in Mercosur countries can be as large as 15,000ha, the average Irish family farm is just 34ha. 'Irish farmers cannot and will not be able to compete on price with beef produced under vastly different rules and on an industrial scale. If the government is serious about backing Irish farmers, there's only one option – say no to Mercosur," O'Rourke said. The two men jointly called on the government to take a firm stand against the deal in upcoming EU negotiations, warning that its ratification would undermine the Irish beef sector, threaten rural livelihoods, and reward production systems that fail to meet the high standards demanded of EU farmers. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris, recently said he had discussed international trade developments, including the Mercosur agreement, with his counterparts from France and Germany, among others. He said: "The government is committed to supporting free, fair and open trade. Indeed, recent developments in the global trading environment have highlighted the importance of market diversification via an expanded set of EU free trade agreements. "We have always been clear, that such agreements must defend our most vulnerable sectors and that our farmers' livelihoods must not be undermined through weak or ineffective environmental standards in other countries." "Our position is clearly outlined in the Programme for Government, which states that the government will work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal," the Tánaiste said.
Agriland
11-06-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Irish MEP claims Brazil underreports antibiotic use in livestock
An Irish MEP has claimed that Brazil underreports the level of use of antibiotics in its livestock and food production sector. Ciaran Mullooly said he has raised the issue with the European Commission, saying that underreporting antibiotic use 'raises major public health concerns in light of growing threats' of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). His statements come as the EU and the South American trading bloc Mercosur – of which Brazil is a member – inch closer to ratifying a trade agreement that would allow an additional 99,000t of South American beef, as well as various amounts of other food products, enter the EU at reduced tariffs. The use of antibiotics in food production has long been identified as a key factor in the emergence of AMR, which can lead to resistant infections in humans. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), AMR is linked to 1.27 million human deaths per year around the world. The EU has taken steps to reduce antibiotic use in its own food production sector. However, according to Mullooly, concern remains over antibiotic use in other food producing regions. The Ireland Midlands–North-West MEP claimed that, while the EU, US, Canada and Australia provide regulatory data on the amount of antibiotics used in their food producing sectors, Brazil has 'consistently failed to provide adequate data'. Mullooly further claimed that the 'only interpretation' to explain this alleged lack of data is that 'the use of antibiotics is widespread and there are inadequate controls'. The Independent Ireland MEP said that testing food products that enter the EU 'only covers one day of the animal's production cycle'. 'Europe's progress in reducing antibiotic use in food production is clear evidence of our commitment to protecting public health. However, the lack of reliable data and transparency in other regions, including Brazil, poses a significant threat not only to consumers in those countries but also through imports of food products,' Mullooly said. He called on the European Commission to press for greater transparency and rigorous reporting standards from countries exporting to the EU. He said: 'The battle against AMR is global. We cannot allow weak reporting and inadequate reporting standards from countries exporting to the EU. 'It is yet another clear example that the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, which includes significant tariff-free beef, poultry and pork exports to the EU, must not be ratified. No economic arguments can justify compromising the human health of EU citizens,' Mullooly added.
Agriland
06-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
French and Brazilian leaders disagree on Mercosur after meeting
The presidents of Brazil and France spoke of their differences on the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement yesterday, during a visit of the Brazilian leader to the European Country. According to reporting by Reuters, French president Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva differed with each other on the issue, with Lula calling for Macron to 'open his heart' to the deal, and Macron pushing back, highlighting the negative impact to French and European farmers. Lula is set to shortly take up the rotating presidency of the Mercosur bloc – which also includes Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – and indicated that he intends to use his six-month tenure to push the agreement over the final hurdles. 'I will not leave the Mercosur presidency without having concluded the trade deal,' he said. He also called on Macron to tell his fellow European leaders that Brazil was committed to fighting deforestation. According to the Reuters report, Macron said he was in favour of free and equitable trade, but that the deal, in its current form, would harm farmers as they would have to compete against South American farmers who are not subject to the same environmental regulations as European farmers. The French president said that the inclusion of so-called 'mirror clauses' may improve the deal. Reuters also reported that French farming organisations met with politicians this week and urged Macron to work with other EU countries to form a 'blocking minority' in the Council of the EU against the deal, (a blocking minority is four EU member states). Mercosur France and Ireland have been the two EU countries most steadfast against the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris recently telling the Dáil that he is unconvinced that Ireland's concerns about the trade agreement have been 'adequately addressed'. According to Minister Harris, both he and his officials continue to engage at EU level at every opportunity, with both the European Commission directly and with counterparts in EU member states, including France, to 'voice our concerns with the agreement'. Harris said both he and his officials have sought to 'interrogate the outcome of negotiations to assess if our concerns have been adequately addressed'. However, he said: 'I am not convinced they have been.'
