The enforcement of any 'mirror clauses' as part of the EU-Mercosur trade deal would not be possible "without access to, and supervision of, South American production that simply does not exist", an Irish MEP has said.

Attending one of the largest marts on the European mainland in Ciney, Belgium this week, with European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen, Michael McNamara, Independent MEP for Ireland South, said the concerns voiced by farmers are the same as in Ireland, including a fear of Mercosur.

"Speaking to farmers and their representatives, the concerns are the same as in my constituency of Ireland South - the difficulties faced by young farmers to take over family farms, the need to reduce bureaucracy and simplify CAP compliance and, especially, the grave threat posed by Mercosur," McNamara said.

The need for mirror clauses in the agreement, which could require Mercosur countries to meet the same production standards as in the EU, has been expressed by livestock farmers and their representatives.

Following discussions with Hansen, McNamara said the commissioner "told us he had no knowledge of any negotiations around an annex in the Mercosur agreement containing mirror clauses that would require producers from both sides of the world to respect the same environmental and health standards - but stressed it was a matter for his colleague, the Trade Commissioner".

Earlier this month, during a state visit to France by the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concerns about the current draft of the Mercosur deal, insisting that further changes to the agreement were needed.

While expressing support for fair and equitable trade, Macron warned that the current Mercosur deal would require European farmers to compete against South American counterparts on unequal terms since the South Americans would not be subject to the same regulations.

"My colleague, Benoît Cassart MEP, who is also a farmer, expressed scepticism about the prospects of any such additions and I agree,” McNamara continued.

"The promise of mirror clauses increasingly appears to be a mirage to placate, and ultimately deceive, farmers and consumers alike.

"There’s also the difficulty of detecting hormones and supplements, banned in Europe, as pointed out by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety," he added.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris this month said that engagements with the European Commission on Mercosur are continuing.

The Tánaiste said: "EU free trade agreements support more opportunity for exports and investment, help support jobs and growth at home, maintain strict EU standards on food safety, animal and plant health, and support better environmental and human rights standards around the world".

"Since the Commission announced the conclusion of negotiations, officials from my department and other departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, have been working together carefully to analyse the text of the additional legal instrument addressing sustainability commitments".

However Harris said that the Government continues to voice its concerns with the agreement, and "interrogate the outcome of negotiations to assess if our concerns have been adequately addressed".

"Ireland’s position on the EU-Mercosur agreement remains as clearly outlined in the Programme for Government, to work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal," the Tánaiste said.