Senator: Mercosur is a 'direct threat' to family farms
Sinn Féin Senator, Joanne Collins has said that importance of food promotion and new markets "cannot can be understated".
Speaking in the Seanad this week (June 2025), Senator Collins highlighted that the agri-food sector is Ireland's largest and "most important" indigenous industry.
She said: "It underpins not just our economic prosperity but the very fabric of rural Ireland, from our small villages to our market towns, keeping communities alive, businesses viable, and traditions strong.
"However not all sectors are experiencing the benefits equally. Suckler and sheep farmers are seeing their incomes diminish while dairy and tillage sectors enjoy strong profits.
"This is not a new observation but it’s a challenge we must confront if we want rural Ireland to survive and flourish,” Senator Collins added.
Senator Collins also called for "honesty" about the future of Ireland's agriculture industry in a "changing world".
She believes that the Mercosur trade deal, which would allow large volumes of South American beef into European markets, is a "direct threat" to Irish family farms, to food standards, and to the environment.
The senator said: "It would undermine the hard-won reputation Ireland has for high-welfare, low-carbon production. It makes no sense for Ireland to pursue climate and environmental goals on the one hand, while signing a deal that will destroy rainforests and undermine hard-working European producers on the other.
"We do need new markets and strong food promotion to help Ireland’s agricultural products find a home across the world."
"Ireland produces high-calibre, grass-fed, environmentally friendly food products, and we should leverage this reputation. Instead of competing on price against low-cost producers, we need to secure new premium markets, developing geographical indicators, and adding value at home," she added.
The senator believes that Ireland's agricultural industry is at a crossroads, and needs to reform agricultural payments; support suckler and sheep farmers; incentivise diversification and develop new income streams; and reduce red tape and bureaucracy.
"We will fight unfair trade deals, we will promote our produce in new markets, and we will put fairness and a viable future for all agricultural sectors at the centre of food production," Senator Collins said.
