Trade deal bad for farmers

THE latest proposals from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are even worse for Irish agriculture than the previous ones, according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin.

However, Mr Martin would not commit the government to veto an agreement at this stage, saying it would weaken their hand in negotiations. The likelihood of concluding an agreement this year appears to be fading, with the majority of EU ministers coming out against the draft in Brussels yesterday having been briefed by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.

Mr Martin said Mr Mandelson put the best spin possible on it but admitted there was a lot still up in the air.

“His language was very skilful but lets say I saw through the skill,” he said.

He did not believe there was enough on the table to warrant a trade ministers meeting and did not agree with the rush to conclude an agreement before US President George Bush left office.

“It should be about substance and not time-tables, and there has to be an agreement that offers that substance. No WTO agreement should undermine our agricultural interest,” he said.

The government’s main concern was the damage to the beef, sheep and pig meat industries and to dairy products by opening up European markets too widely and too quickly to produce from the developing world, especially Brazil.