Taoiseach: Proposed EU trade deal is unfair
IT ‘wouldn’t be fair’ to ratify the EU-Mercosur trade deal in its current form, the Taoiseach has said.
His remarks come as Ciarán Cuffe, a Green Party MEP said there were ‘concerning’ moments yesterday as hundreds of angry farmers in tractors created chaos outside the EU’s headquarters.
It is the culmination of weeks of protests around the bloc, with farmers saying it is becoming harder than ever to make a decent living as energy and fertiliser costs surge because of Russia’s war in Ukraine, more and cheaper farm imports make it hard to compete, and climate change-fuelled droughts, floods or fires destroy crops.
The president of the IFA Francie Gorman said: ‘Farmers here have been watching the protests across Europe. They are just as frustrated by what is happening as farmers in other countries.
‘They feel they are being regulated out of business by Brussels bureaucrats and Department of Agriculture officials who are far removed from the reality of dayto-day farming.’
Mr Cuffe said of the protests: ‘The farmers were and are unhappy. It was a little bit concerning. Many of the streets have tractors three to four rows deep. In the morning there were rocks being thrown at the buildings around the parliament and there were bonfires. I felt a bit concerned.’
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the protests were discussed by EU leaders at a memorial service on Wednesday night to remember former president of the European Commission Jacques Delors.
‘The issue of farming and agriculture isn’t on the agenda for this meeting, but was discussed by leaders last night,’ the Taoiseach said yesterday. ‘I’d be among one of quite a number of heads of governments here who understand the pressures that our farmers are under.
‘Whether its increased energy costs or fertiliser costs, new environmental regulations, it’s kind of been layer upon layer for farmers.
‘Certainly I think the priority for us should be implementing existing regulations and not imposing new additional ones on farmers over the next couple of years.’
Farmers have also criticised the proposed trade agreement struck with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in 2019, which aims to streamline the multi-billion trading relationship between the EU and the Mercosur countries.
The trade deal, if it came into effect, would lift duties on products between the two regions, and could see cheaper beef, poultry and pork imported to the EU from South America.
The deal has been heavily criticised by environmental groups and beef farmers in Ireland, who believe it will allow beef produced in a less sustainable way into the EU market at the expense of Irish farmers.
Mr Varadkar said he agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on Mercosur, who said changes need to be made. The French government aimed to disperse disruptive protests held by unhappy farmers during the week by promising emergency aid and controls on imported food.
Speaking from Brussels, Mr Varadkar said: ‘We can’t have a situation whereby we impose environmental regulations on farmers and then allow imports from countries that don’t have those same regulations, that wouldn’t be fair.
‘I think it can’t be ratified in its current form so what we would need is legally binding and legally enforceable changes around the environment, and that would be crucial for us.’
‘Can’t be ratified in its current form’