The Environmental Pillar, Ireland’s environmental NGO advocacy coalition, is urging the next Government to reject the EU Mercosur deal when it comes before the European Council.
In a letter to the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Agriculture, the Environmental Pillar says that the EU-Mercosur deal will drive habitat loss, exacerbate the climate and biodiversity crisis, while driving unfair competition, accelerating the collapse of many family farms across Ireland.
Environmental Pillar Steering Committee Member and Head of Advocacy at An Taisce, Dr Elaine McGoff said: “Agricultural intensification and deforestation, compounded by climate change, is resulting in the loss and degradation of ecosystems such as the Cerrado and the Amazon rainforest. The EU-Mercosur trade deal is designed to ramp up trade in products that are driving the destruction of these ecosystems that are critical to global biodiversity and the regulation of the global climate.”
The agreement, which will invariably involve importing vast amounts of beef into the EU market, will further undermine the profitability of small family farms across Ireland, the Environmental Pillar says.
Brian Meredith from farm organisation and Environmental Pillar member said: “We fear that these farms will be unable to compete with the commodities of scale, the lower standards and the lower cost of production of imported South American beef. The socio-economic consequences of this could be catastrophic given that the majority of Irish farmers are engaged in some form of cattle enterprise and the sector is already in a financially vulnerable position due to poor profitability. Many extensive Irish suckler farmers help to support High Nature Value farming systems and their loss would also have a negative impact on Ireland’s biodiversity.”
The Environmental Pillar also criticised the lack of transparency around the deal.
Fintan Kelly, Agriculture and Land Use Policy and Advocacy Officer with the Environmental Pillar, said: “For more than 25 years the negotiations that culminated in this agreement have been going on behind closed doors without public participation or transparency. To date there has been a lack of openness in relation to the decision-making process and engagement with our elected representatives in the European Parliament and with National governments. The lack of transparency and democratic accountability seriously undermines our trust in this trade deal. The process has already been criticised by the European Ombudsman and senior members of the European Parliaments Agri-Committee.”
Karen Ciesielski, Environmental Pillar Coordinator,said: “This lack of democratic oversight is particularly egregious given that the EU-Mercosur trade agreement has been opposed by civil society, farmers’ groups, indigenous communities and politicians here and across Europe for over two decades.
“This trade deal will soon come before the European Council where a blocking majority of at least four EU Member States will be needed in order to block the trade deal. We appeal to you to urgently communicate Ireland’s opposition to the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement to the European Commission and President Ursula von der Leyen.”
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