As the European Commission agreed for a trade deal between the EU and Mercosur today (Friday, December 6), the Irish Farmers’ Association president Francie Gorman has said that the farmer campaign will continue.
Von der Leyen finalised negotiations with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Argentinian president Javier Milei, Paraguayan president Santiago Peña, and Uruguayan president Luis Lacalle Pou today.
Gorman described the agreement as a “sell out deal” and said it still needs to be ratified by the EU Council of Member States; the European Parliament; and should also have to be ratified by national parliaments.
“The Commission may have sold out European farmers, but there is a distance to travel yet. Essentially, we are back to where we were in 2019 with an EU Commission-agreed deal without a democratic mandate,” Gorman said.
The IFA President, who is also the Vice-President of Copa (EU farmers) will be co-ordinating the next steps of the campaign to oppose the deal, with a flash action protest due in Brussels on Monday morning (December 9).
Mercosur
“While the Commission President is talking up the benefits of the deal, she makes no reference to the very damaging consequences for the beef and poultry sectors,” Gorman said.
“Simon Harris as Taoiseach and Micheál Martin as Tánaiste told the IFA national council during the General Election campaign that they were opposed to the Mercosur deal. They must carry this commitment forward and oppose this deal tooth and nail,” he said.
Through our Brussels office, IFA is in contact with Irish MEPs looking for their support when it comes to the ratification stage.
IFA is also in complete opposition to any splitting of the trade and political aspects of a potential Mercosur deal. The role of national Parliaments in relation to trade deal ratification must be respected and honoured by the EU Commission.