Fianna F\u00e1il MEP Barry Andrews has said he is disappointed with the Government\u2019s decision to vote against the Mercosur trade deal between the EU and a group of South American countries.<\/p>\n
The Dublin MEP, who has publicly stated his support for the deal before, said the decision was a \u201ctestament to the power of the agricultural body\u201d but that the debate in Ireland had \u201cfocused exclusively on beef\u201d.<\/p>\n
While he said that was an important element, he said other sectors such as pharmaceuticals, tech and chemicals stood to \u201cobviously benefit\u201d from the agreement and from access to a market of 280 million people which had been \u201ccompletely ignored and set to one side\u201d during the debate.<\/p>\n
However, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said the Irish position was not just about farmers but also consumers and standards. <\/p>\n
\u201cYes, our farmers have huge concerns. Our farmers are reaching the highest environmental standards here in Europe\u2026and we\u2019re seeing product going to come in at a lower tariff rate from third markets that don\u2019t have those same environmental standards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Speaking on RTE\u2019s Prime Time on Thursday, he said while he expected the vote to pass, he believed other countries including Poland and France would not support it either. <\/p>\n
On Thursday evening, French president Emmanuel Macron said \u200dFrance would also vote against the trade agreement. <\/p>\n
Mr Andrews said that the safeguards secured during the negotiation of the trade deal were clear, and while he said he would support it in a European Parliament vote to ratify the deal, he now had his doubts over whether that vote could be won. <\/p>\n
He also said that it could have been consistent with the Programme for Government to support the deal. \u201cThere was never a commitment to never support any trade agreement with Mercosur,\u201d he said, adding that interpreting the programme for government as barring such a step was a \u201cwrong reading of what was promised\u201d. <\/p>\n
In Dublin, Sinn F\u00e9in accused the Government of failing Ireland on the deal amid an expectation that it will be passed despite Ireland\u2019s opposition. <\/p>\n
However, farming organisations have welcomed the Government\u2019s plan to vote against the deal as the right decision. <\/p>\n
Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin<\/a> confirmed Ireland\u2019s decision to oppose it on Thursday in advance of an expected vote on the contentious trade deal between the European Union<\/a> and a group of South American countries on Friday.<\/p>\n There are growing expectations that the deal will be approved with support from the Italian government. With Rome voting in favour, a blocking minority of European states cannot be assembled.<\/p>\n If that comes to pass, the Irish vote against the deal will be symbolic.<\/p>\n What is the Mercosur trade deal? <\/p>\n The largest trade deal negotiated by the EU<\/a>, the agreement with four South American Mercosur<\/a> countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) would see import duties phased out on 91 per cent of EU goods. In return, these countries could sell goods to the EU with fewer restrictions. <\/p>\n Who is for and against it? <\/b><\/p>\n Fans of the deal say it offers access to new markets and helps combat Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs. In Ireland, France and Poland, farmers fear more beef coming into the EU. <\/p>\n The programme for government codifies Ireland\u2019s opposition to the deal, committing the Coalition to \u201cwork with like-minded EU countries\u201d in opposing Mercosur. <\/p>\n Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald<\/a> accused the Coalition of a \u201cmassive failure\u201d on Mercosur. \u201cTheir job was to stop Mercosur being introduced and they failed utterly in that task,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had multiple opportunities to stop Mercosur. They took none of them and now at the 11th hour they are cynically announcing they will vote against it when it is far too late.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms McDonald claimed Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael \u201crefused\u201d to \u201cstand firm\u201d and \u201cbuild a blocking minority\u201d. <\/p>\n Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, a Fine Gael TD, described Ms McDonald\u2019s comments as \u201cridiculous\u201d.<\/p>\n