Commission using agriculture as bargaining tool, says livestock

Irish farmers strongly reject the way the European Commission is using agriculture as its main bargaining chip in bilateral trade negotiations, says IFA livestock chairman Henry Burns.

The IFA livestock leader wants the Government and Irish MEPs to ensure that EU negotiators do not repeat mistakes in trade negotiations with Canada and the US.

His concerns for Irish agriculture and livestock farmers relate to the future deals in EU talks with Brazil and the US under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).