MEPs from both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been criticised by Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin, Lynn Boylan, for not supporting a vote which called for the Mercosur trade deal to be scrapped.

According to Boylan, both parties had two opportunities to back a vote calling for the EU to get rid of the trade deal.

“Sinn Féin was the only party to use both opportunities to vote in favour of scrapping the deal. Fine Gael abstained, while Fianna Fáil couldn’t work out if they were for or against the vote," Boylan said.

“It is the latest incident that poses questions about where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael stand on the Mercosur deal," she added.

The controversial EU-Mercosur trade agreement would allow an additional 99,000t of beef to enter the EU tariff-free from Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia.

The agreement will open up the EU market to goods from Mercosur, but limits imports from those South American countries of “sensitive agricultural products” such as beef, ethanol, pork, honey, sugar and poultry.

Lynn Boylan has said that Sinn Féin will continue to oppose the deal "at every opportunity".

“The Mercosur deal is bad for our health, our environment, and Ireland as a whole," she said.

“It is clear that the government parties are talking out of both sides of their mouth, and cannot be trusted to oppose this deal," she added.

Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday (Thursday, February 13), Fianna Fáil MEP for the Midlands North West, Barry Cowen, urged the EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic to strengthen the EU-Mercosur trade deal and provide assurances on key issues.

The Fianna Fáil MEP also stated that the extension of the nitrates derogation post-2025 and an increased Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget are the two other strategic priorities for Irish agriculture.

“As it stands, the Mercosur deal lacks key guarantees and imposes demands on Europe’s farmers not matched by Mercosur nations,” Cowen said.

“If the commission were to provide meaningful assurances around the deal and firm commitments on the derogation and next CAP, I believe farmers’ views could shift,” he concluded.