Mercosur 'poses gravest threat to Irish farmers' - Sinn Féin TD
The EU-Mercosur trade deal poses "the gravest threat to Irish farmers in a generation", according to the Sinn Féin TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, Natasha Newsome Drennan.
Deputy Newsome Drennan, who is one of the new faces in the 34th Dáil, runs a suckler farm with her husband in Mullinavat.
During a Dáil debate yesterday (Thursday, February 6) she highlighted that because she lives on a farm she is "more than familiar with the struggles that farmers across Ireland are facing".
"As the recent storms and heavy snowfall showed us, farmers and communities in rural Ireland always step to the fore in supporting one another in times of need and difficult," she said.
However in Deputy Newsome Drennan's opinion in the face of one of the "gravest" threats to Irish farmers the government has shown "only lukewarm opposition" to the EU Mercosur deal.
"We need to see a complete and utter rejection of the Mercosur deal by the government.
"Sinn Féin is utterly opposed to the Mercosur trade deal. It offers nothing positive for Ireland and will have a devastating impact on farmers and communities across rural Ireland," Deputy Newsome Drennan added.
She said as a "mother raising four young boys on a family farm, I want to see a future where Irish farming is flourishing".
"We need to ensure that Irish farming is in a stronger and more vibrant and resilient environment than the one with which we are currently battling," the Sinn Féin TD for Carlow-Kilkenny added.
But the Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Martin Heydon, also said during yesterday's Dáil debate that the government "recognises the critical role farmers, fishers, foresters and food businesses play in Ireland's society and economy".
"We know the economic spend and benefit that economic activity has and its importance for that rural economy.
"The agri-food sector is a modern, dynamic, future-focused sector with roots in the domestic economy but an economic footprint right across the world, " the minister added.
Minister Heydon also detailed that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has a budget of €2.5 billion in 2025 "to provide increased targeted supports for our beef, sheep meat and tillage sectors".
