Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly has lambasted the Government’s approach to the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement signed last year, stating that any attempts to garner support have been “pathetic”.

The Programme for Government commits to “work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal”. However, Mullooly claimed that this commitment has not translated to Government action on convincing other member states to reject the deal.

“I am afraid there is no evidence in what I have seen from the Government or from the Government MEPs that they are showing any sort of enthusiasm to canvas other countries and other MEPs to vote against the Mercosur deal,” the midlands-northwest MEP told the Irish Farmers Journal. “It is not inevitable that the vote will be lost. Remember, some MEPs are still sceptical about the actual benefit of South American countries trading with their country even when it comes to cars and the automotive sector.”

An April vote in Strasborg saw MEPs vote against a call to scrap the deal by a margin of just over 50 votes, although there were around 45 MEPs who abstained. Mullooly is now lobbying these MEPs in an attempt to turn Mercosur ‘maybes’ into Mercosur ‘nos’.

The MEP also rounded on Government by claiming that the economic impact assessment conducted on the deal has not been updated, despite the figures being based on 2019 data which would add tens of millions to the deal’s financial cost to farmers.

“The fact that they have dragged their feet on this issue for so long only indicates one thing to me. They are not genuine in their efforts to inform the public and to oppose the deal as it stands,” Mullooly continued. “The big problem coming up for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil MEPs is the pipedream they have that the Commission or Hansen is going to come up with a new text or compensation deal that will get their support off the hook,” he said.