Mercosur has shattered farmers’ trust — safeguards won’t fix that

For decades, the EU’s central mantra has been that food standards are not up for negotiation

The question farmers are asking is far more fundamental: How can we trust the safeguards, when we no longer trust the commission to uphold its own core principles?

The past six days have been bruising for Irish farmers. Hurt and anger have bubbled over — not quietly, but viscerally. It was palpable in the Farm Centre last week as IFA president Francie Gorman delivered an impassioned warning about the impact an additional 99,000t of low-tariff beef could have on Irish markets.

At the heart of this backlash is not just volume or price, but trust — or rather, the collapse of it.