THE EU’s new vision for agriculture and food has brought the proposed Mercosur trade agreement into question, according to IFA deputy president Alice Doyle.
The deal, which has been described as disastrous for Irish farmers, would see the removal of tariffs on a number of goods from certain South American countries by 93%.
Irish farming organisations fear it would see an influx of South American beef and poultry into the market which would come at a cheaper cost to businesses.
A major criticism aimed at the deal is the lower food production standards that can be found in Mercosur countries.
Food security has been highlighted by EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen as highly important in the recently published ‘Vision for Agriculture and Food’ document, which outlines the EU’s approach to the agri-food sector over the coming years.
However, according to IFA deputy president Alice Doyle, the document means the Commission cannot proceed with the Mercosur deal as it stands.
‘The importance of food security in the context of EU’s overall security is strongly supported in the document. This highlights the importance of rebalancing CAP policy back toward food production in any future reforms,’ she said.
‘The document also highlights the importance of a stronger alignment of production standards to imported products into the EU. If this is the objective, how can the Commission continue to proceed with the proposed Mercosur trade agreement given the clear divergence in production standard between EU and South American countries?’
