Mercosur: ‘vague political statements’ no longer good enough – ICSA

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association has called on both Irish MEPs and the government to make official “unambiguous” declarations regarding their position on the Mercosur trade deal.

It comes after the ICSA had this week written to every Irish MEP seeking their position on the proposed trade deal between the EU and South American nations.

The letter asks MEPs to confirm whether they support or oppose the deal as it stands, and what (if any) amendments would make it acceptable to them in future.

ICSA president Sean McNamara said that farmers are tired of hearing that people ‘don’t support the deal in its current form’ without any explanation of what changes would make it acceptable.

“Vague political statements are no longer good enough,” he said.

“That kind of language is meaningless to Irish farmers whose livelihoods are on the line if this deal goes ahead. We want to know exactly what changes would satisfy our elected representatives, and how far they are willing to go to defend Irish farmers.”

Confusion

In addition, the ICSA has criticised the lack of urgency and resolve from the government around Mercosur.

“There is a lot of confusion following a recent European Parliament vote on a report containing amendments linked to the Mercosur agreement, and farmers are rightly questioning where our representatives actually stand,” added McNamara.

“What we need are cast-iron guarantees that Ireland will not support this deal, now or in the future, and that our government is actively working to build a blocking minority in Brussels. Anything less is just not good enough.”

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