IFA warns that EU trade deal with South American Mercosur will be damaging for beef trade
IFA National Livestock Committee chairman Henry Burns said an analysis by the European Commission shows a Mercosur deal would inflict losses of €7.8bn on agriculture but the losses at farm level would be much higher.
He said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and European Parliament members must come out strongly against such a deal and defend farmers and their sector.
Mr Burns said beef production in Ireland is based on environmentally sustainable grassland production systems, which are between two and four times more efficient than in South America in terms of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.
“It would be a total contradiction of EU policy on climate change for Europe to agree a Mercosur deal that replaces sustainable EU beef production for European consumers with product from South America, which has a much higher carbon footprint,” said Mr Burns.
“The growth in South American beef exports, and particularly exports from Brazil, has come about on the back of destruction of rainforest.”
Meanwhile, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association has called on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to delay issuing clearance to the reported merger between ABP and Slaney Foods Group until a full examination of various competition issues is concluded.
All interested parties need to be consulted at every stage of the process, it said.
