A WEST Cork farming advocate and former local election candidate has warned Ireland’s MEPs and future TDs must step up now to fight a Mercosur trade
deal.
Last month, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen met Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, where an EU-Mercusur deal – a trade deal between European and Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – was discussed. Afterwards, Ms von der Leyen said such an agreement was ‘of great economic and strategic importance’.
Farmer Helen O’Sullivan from Bantry warned the EU president wants to sign off on a Mercusor trade deal as soon as next month – a deal she says would be a ‘nail in the coffin for beef producers as it will close us
down’.
Ms O’Sullivan was in Brussels twice this year at events speaking to oppose a Mercosur deal. She says now is the time to lobby our future TDs and our MEP’s ‘to oppose this deal for the sake of rural Ireland’.
‘France is currently out protesting against it. We need to do the same. No other country can produce high quality sustainable beef like we do. Chemicals and hormones are being used in South America to produce food that is banned in Europe,’ she said. ‘Ursula von der Leyen wants to put European farmers out of business by rushing to ratify the free trade agreement so Brazil can import 99,000 tons of beef into Europe tariff free.’
The issue has backing from across the Irish political spectrum but Ms O’Sullivan has called on Irish politicians to mobilise now on the issue. Environmentalists are equally alarmed. Friends of the Earth are among the groups who have opposed any Mercosur deal, and have said any deal would undermine the Paris climate agreement and lead to more fires and deforestation in the Amazon, escalation of land-grabbing and invasion of indigenous territories, and soaring greenhouse gas emissions.
In contrast, Ms O’Sullivan contrasted this with Ireland’s grass-based system. ‘To produce 1kg of beef from Ireland it produces 18/19kgs of carbon. To produce 1kg of beef from Brazil it produces 1000kgs of carbon. The EU average is 22kgs per 1kg of beef. Why would you want to replace this with unregulated untraceable beef from thousands of miles away? Is climate change not happening in Brazil? Why does she think its ok for Brazil to cut down the world’s lungs to make way for beef production while she seizes production in Europe due to climate change? This does not make sense.’
ICSA president Sean McNamara expressed deep concern over reports that the Mercosur Trade Deal could be split into two parts to speed up its approval through the EU, bypassing national parliaments. He fears this would allow the trade-related aspects, such as tariffs and import quotas, to be presented to the EU Council in a way that requires only a qualified majority for approval - avoiding the need for unanimity - and therefore cutting out national parliaments altogether.
Mr McNamara said that if the deal is split, Ireland’s only recourse would be to challenge the decision in the courts. ‘This raises a crucial question: Is the Irish Government prepared to take legal action against the European Commission if it oversteps its authority? Splitting the deal to bypass national parliaments is beyond the remit of the Commission and cannot go unchallenged. Our leaders need to show they are ready to defend Irish interests, not just with words, but with real action.’
