Rose Conway-Walsh warns Mercosur deal will devastate Irish farms
Rose Conway-Walsh addressed the minister about the finalised Mercosur agreement, arguing it will devastate Irish farming and rural jobs. She said the negotiations are finished, the deal is done, and urged the minister to reject it publicly and to work with like-minded states to build a blocking minority.
Deal finalised and political choice
The speaker said months of hand-wringing and vague objections no longer matter because the negotiations are finished and the deal is done. The only remaining decision, she told the minister, is whether Ireland will vote for the agreement or against it.
Risk to rural jobs and Irish agriculture
She warned that Irish agriculture underpins tens of thousands of rural jobs and supports small businesses, agritourism ventures, transport, food processing and hospitality. She stated that when the family farm is undermined, the entire rural economy is undermined.
Imports, standards and certification
The agreement, she said, would flood the EU market with 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry. Irish farmers meet the highest animal welfare, traceability and environmental standards, while imports produced with hormones and chemicals banned in Ireland would be allowed under the deal. She cited the European Commission's 2024 audit finding that Brazil cannot guarantee hormone-free beef and criticised Mercosur rules that allow exporters to self-certify.
Environmental and social consequences
Beyond farming, she argued the deal is an attack on Ireland's climate commitments and on indigenous peoples in South America whose lands are taken for cattle ranching. She warned it undermines the global fight against deforestation in the Amazon.
Farming opposition and emergency break critique
She said every farming organisation named in the chamber - the IFA, the ICSA and the INHFA - opposes the agreement. The so-called emergency break was described as temporary, weak and inadequate to prevent job losses, market distortion or the slow death of the family farm, and she urged the minister to stop dithering and work to block the deal.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Thank you. Now, Minister, we have had months and months of hand-wringing and vague objections to the agreement in its current form. The fact is that the negotiations are finished, the deal is done and now you must decide whether you are for it or against it. From an enterprise tourism and employment perspective, I can see exactly what is at stake here. Irish agriculture underpens tens of thousands of rural jobs, small businesses, agritourism ventures, transport, food processing and hospitality. And when you undermine the family farm, you undermine the entire rural economy. The deal will flood the EU market with 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry. Irish farmers are required to meet the highest animal welfare traceability and environmental standards in the world. Now they will be forced to compete with cheaper stub standard imports produced with hormones and chemicals banned here for decades. The European Commission's own audit in 2024 confirmed that Brazil cannot guarantee hormone-free beef. Yet, under Mercosur, exporters can self-certify and this is absolutely reckless. Now, let us be clear, this is not just an attack on Irish farmers. It is an attack on our climate commitments, on indigenous peoples in South America whose lands are taken for cattle ranching and on a global fight against deforestation in the Amazon. Government ministers say that they oppose the deal in its current form, but that line is now meaningless. The deal on the table is the deal. There is no more negotiating. The only question is whether Ireland will vote for it or against it. Farmers know this. The IFA, the ICSA, the INHFA know this. Every farming organisation in the country is opposed to this. The so-called emergency break is not worth the paper it is written on. It is temporary, it is weak and it is entirely inadequate to prevent job losses, market distortion or the slow death of the family farm. There is much more I could say, Minister, but I need to hand over to my colleague. Minister, you need to stop dithering. You need to reject this agreement publicly and to work with like-minded states to build a blocking minority to this disastrous deal.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
