Rose Conway-Walsh: Says Mercosur Threatens Rural Livelihoods
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised the Mercosur trade agreement as a threat to rural livelihoods and food security, urging the Government to act. She rejected Mercosur and said the State has failed to defend farmers, property rights and democratic oversight.
Main objections
She argued Mercosur destabilises rural livelihoods and described the outcome as "a race to the bottom." She said the Government has not opposed the deal as required and criticised assurances—such as claims beef was removed from negotiations—that were never reliable.
Compensation and property rights
Drawing on her rural background in Mayo and the history of the 1997 EU Directive, she said farmers were repeatedly promised compensation for designations but did not receive it. She raised concerns about buffer zones that prevent building on private land and questioned how property rights are being upheld.
Democratic oversight and national vetoes
She said the process surrounding Mercosur amounted to a bypass of national vetoes and a sidelining of international parliaments, which undermines democratic oversight. She criticised the Government for failing to form the necessary alliances in the EU to defend national interests.
Food security and Government response
She framed the issue as wider than agriculture, warning of consequences for food security given the current geopolitical situation. She urged the Taoiseach and the Government to take steps, even at a late stage, to "take back the power" and stand up for rural and farm communities.
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Minister, destabilising rural livelihoods is not fair trade, it is a race to the bottom. What has happened here with Mercosur is not right. We all understand trade, we understand the necessities of it, but I come from a rural community in Mayo and I see the promises that have been made, you look at this in the wider and you must stand back and look at it. But I see what was done over the years, even going back to the EU Directive in 1997, where farmers were promised and promised, they were promised in relation to designations, oh you will be compensated, where does that leave us today? It leaves us in a situation where there was no compensation for designations, there was not only the designated areas, but then the buffer zones where people cannot, and I think there is real questions of property rights here, where people cannot build on their own land as it is. And the Government has not opposed Mercosur in the way that it needed to do. So it has not stood up, it has not done the alliances in the EU. What has happened here? It is an absolute bypass of national vetoes, of sidelines, international parliaments, and it undermines democratic oversight. There are much bigger consequences here for what has happened, and what has happened in terms of food security. My God, look at the geopolitical situation as it is at the moment. Food security is something that people depend on. So this is much more than just a farming matter, it is a matter for everybody living in this country. And that is why we have said no to Mercosur right from the beginning, and as was said, when we were told that beef was taken off the table, we knew that it was never taken off the table. So it has to be no to Mercosur, and I would ask you, even at this late stage, and I listened intently to the Taoiseach again today, there are steps that can be taken by the Irish Government, to take back the power and stand up for rural and farm communities.
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