Irish MEP Luke Ming Flanagan has been appointed the vice-chairperson of a delegation of MEPs that will represent the European Parliament in relations with the South American trading bloc Mercosur.

The European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Mercosur (DMER) has been formed in several recent parliaments, with the latest delegation team for the current parliament being formed last week.

The purpose of the DMER is to develop contacts with elected representatives from Mercosur and the countries that compose it, namely Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Mercosur is a controversial topic in the EU due to the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, the as-yet unratified trade deal that would see an additional 99,000t of beef exports from Mercosur enter the EU tariff free, which has been a target for criticism from farm organisations in the EU, as well as many MEPs.

Speaking after his appointment to the role of first vice-chairperson of the DMER, Flanagan said it was privilege to take up the position.

"It is vitally important to have access to accurate timely information on ongoing negotiations. It is also a privilege and an important role to be a voice for farmers on the ground and to be in a position to accurately reflect their views," he said.

The Ireland Midlands--North-West MEP claimed: "Too often the views of farmers are communicated through organisations who claim to represent farmers' interests but in reality are pawns of big business.

"The EU has large export capability in high-end goods, pharmaceutical products and automobiles, while the Mercosur countries have vast export potential in primary produce and raw materials," Flanagan added.

The MEP claimed that, for agriculture, the environment, and labour rights, the deal "offers nothing except lower wages, poorer working conditions, inferior quality food that we don't have control over, and environmental degradation".

Commenting on the recent decision of the European Commission to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation by 12 months, Flanagan claimed this was in an effort to push the deal over the line.

The EU Deforestation Regulation means that companies will only be allowed to sell products in the EU if the supplier provides a “due diligence” statement confirming that the product did not come from deforested land, or did not lead to forest degradation, after December 31, 2020.

Flanagan said he was looking forward to engaging with the work of the DMER and "being a strong advocate for agriculture...in Ireland and across the EU".

"It is important that civil society and all stakeholders have the full picture in the evolution of these deals so that they are in a position to hold politicians to account," he commented.