Ireland will vote against the EU's massive Mercosur trade deal

LAST UPDATE | 22 hrs ago

THE IRISH GOVERNMENT will vote against the controversial Mercosur trade deal, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have confirmed.

In a statement, Tánaiste Simon Harris said that following negotiations with the EU on the deal, Ireland does not find the additional measures “sufficient to satisfy our citizens”.

“So our position stands. We will vote against the agreement,” he said.

Speaking to reporters in China, where he is travelling on a trade visit, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Irish farmers had put too much work into improving their food production system to risk the deal, RTÉ has reported.

The deal is set to be ratified by the European Council tomorrow, but a small group of countries appear likely to vote against it, potentially blocking its approval.

This evening, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that his country will vote against the deal. 

In a statement on X, he said the European Commission should be credited for “undeniable progress” in the details of the deal, but he said his country would vote against it anyway after “unanimous political rejection” in parliament.

But he added: “The signing stage does not mark the end of the story.

“I will continue to fight for the full, concrete implementation of the commitments obtained from the European Commission and to protect our farmers.”

For the deal not to go through, at least four EU countries that together represent 35% of the EU’s population will have to vote against the deal. 

Currently, Hungary and Poland have indicated that they will vote against the deal, while Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands have also voiced concerns. 

If all the member states that have indicated that they would vote no voted against the deal they would fall short of that 35% quota without Italy also joining them. 

Italy is increasingly seen as likely to support the deal after Giorgia Meloni’s Government pushed for key safeguards and financial supports for farmers.

The deal would create the world’s biggest free-trade area, and it’s aimed at helping the EU export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to the South American trade bloc which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and other countries. 

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‘Not a great listener’

However, farmers in Ireland and other countries have voiced staunch opposition to the deal due to its anticipated impact on the agricultural sector in EU member states. 

Others have also opposed the deal on environmental grounds.

In Ireland, there has been mounting pressure from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers, along with some of the Independents in Government, not to support the deal.

Earlier this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin appeared to leave the door open to supporting the deal, causing panic within Government and leading to speculation that the coalition could collapse over the issue if the Independents walked away.

Reacting to the Taoiseach’s remarks on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness urged Ireland to vote against the deal, but said we would have to wait and see what the Taoiseach would choose to do as he is “not a great listener”. 

Meanwhile, Independent TD and Junior Minister in the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae welcomed the decision this morning.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio 1, he said he did not threaten to walk away from the Government over the deal and that his view is that it is better to work from within Government in any case. 

Farmers in France rolled into Paris on tractors this morning to show their dissent towards the deal, over fears that it will create unfair competition, especially in the beef sector.

Dozens of tractors arrived before dawn and cruised through Paris, with some reaching the Eiffel Tower and others at the Arc de Triomphe, in a protest organised by the Rural Confederation union.

Today’s decision has been welcomed by farming groups, including the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA). 

IFA President Francie Gorman noted that there was a clear commitment in the Programme for Government that the deal would be opposed and said the “so-called safeguards” put forward by the European Commission “do not give any assurances that Brazilian beef will meet EU standards.”

“In our discussions with members of Government over the last 48 hours, we re-stated that opposition to the Mercosur deal was the only credible position the Government could adopt. Farmers would have felt let down by any other approach,” Gorman said.

This was echoed by ICMSA President Denis Drennan, who said Irish farmers have never been against fair trade, but the Mercosur deal was not a fair one and would lead to the importation of beef that does not meet EU standards of traceability and environmentally sustainable production.

He said this would leave EU farmers to compete against cheaper, substandard beef. 

The decision has also been welcomed by the Labour Party, with Cork North Central TD Eoghan Kenny arguing that the environmental consequences of the deal would be “alarming”.

“Beef production in South America accounts for around 65 percent of tropical deforestation. At a time when the climate crisis is accelerating, it is indefensible for the European Union to sign off on a trade deal that incentivises the destruction of vital ecosystems.

“We cannot lecture the world on climate leadership while actively rewarding deforestation through our trade policy,” Kenny said.

He said Ireland must continue to oppose the Mercosur deal on every level and instead push for trade agreements that |protect farmers, uphold high standards and align with climate action”.

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