The next government must make opposition to Mercosur a "red line" issue and "stop" the controversial trade agreement going through, major Irish farming organisations have urged.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described it as a “win-win agreement” and said that the commission had "listened to the concerns of our farmers and we acted on them".

“This agreement includes robust safeguards to protect your livelihoods,” president von der Leyen said in Montevideo, Uruguay yesterday, (December 6).

But farm organisations in Ireland have angrily rejected this assertion.

The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Denis Drennan, warned that the proposed deal will have "a major impact on farming as we know it in Ireland and EU".

Drennan said it was "absurd" that family farms in the EU had to "produce food to the highest standards on the planet while competing with Rancher-Baron factory-style operations with standards and supervision well below those applicable here".

The ICMSA president highlighted that Irish farmers wanted  a ‘level playing field’ and called on the parties involved in current negotiations to set up the next government in Ireland to "step up" and oppose the Mercosur deal.

Meanwhile the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has also described the Mercosur deal as "a disgrace".

The president of the ICSA, Sean McNamara said: "Irish and European beef farmers are being sacrificed on the altar of global trade, with no regard for the devastating impact this will have on our livelihoods, rural communities, and the environment.

He has urged Irish political leaders not to allow the deal to proceed.

"Ireland needs a unified and determined approach to stop Mercosur and safeguard the future of Irish farming," McNamara stated.

Separately the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers' Association (INHFA) has said it is in "total shock and disbelief" over the Mercosur trade agreement.

John Joe Fitzgerald, vice-president of the INHFA, believes the proposed deal "will have serious devastating consequences for farming and rural communities".

He also accused the European Commission of "acting more like dictators".

"It's also alarming that the commission wants to reach an agreement at any cost and no thought given to both the environmental and human health impact this will have," Fitzgerald said.

The INHFA has also urged the outgoing Taoiseach, Simon Harris to "wake up" and "not to go down in the in the Irish history books as Simon the sellout Harris".