ICMSA praise for France’s Mercosur call
ICMSA President Pat McCormack has saluted the French Government’s decision to not ratify the Mercosur trade agreement until the South American nations within Mercosur provide “solid and verifiable” guarantees to protect the environment and health.
Mr McCormack said that France was right to demand this from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
“Not for the first time, we see France having the courage to insist that conditions and standards that are unhesitatingly asked of, and imposed upon, its farmers are at least met by the farmers of those nations wishing to trade with it,” he said. “Other EU Member States now need to publicly endorse the French position and indicate, too, that they will be unwilling to even consider progressing the draft trade agreement until such time as solid and verifiable guarantees are supplied and verification procedures – to be independently carried out – are agreed.”
Mr McCormack feels that the idea that there would be no implications for forestry clearance to produce the level of South American beef required for export to the EU was “delusional” and said the consequences have been dire for biodiversity and indigenous people.
“We already know that the current levels of beef production in South America are impacting on global efforts to manage climate change and the idea that farmers in Ireland – who already produce sustainable beef – and who are being asked to embark on the arduous and expensive transition to lower emissions could do that at exactly the same time as wholly unregulated South American beef began flooding into our traditional markets was always just contradictory nonsense”, he added.
Edward Hayden is a chef and food writer and is very well-known to audiences from his weekly cookery slots on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM. He also presents a weekly radio show, ‘The Saturday Show with Edward Hayden’, every Saturday morning on KCLR96fm
Edward works as a culinary lecturer in Waterford Institute of Technology, where he is course leader of the
Higher Certificate in Culinary Arts Programme. He also is the chef and proprietor of The Edward Hayden School of Cookery’ in his native Graiguenamangh which boasts a large selection of recreational cookery classes for both the novice and experience home cook.
Edward has published three cookery books ‘Edward Entertains’, ‘Food to Love’ with O’Brien Press (which was awarded the prestigious Kerry Food Book of the Year) and ‘Food for Friends’ with O’Brien Press. He is currently putting the finishing touches to his next book, due for release next year.
Edward regularly features recipes in many regional and national publications including ‘Food & Wine Magazine’, ‘Woman’s Way’ and ‘Irish Independent Weekend Magazine. Edward demonstrates all around the country at both a local and national level in a wide range of cookery demonstrations for local fundraising activities, food festivals, agricultural shows.
Follow the ‘Chef Edward Hayden’ page on Facebook for more delicious recipies.
W: www.edwardentertains.com