It is welcome that the Commission has decided it wants to ban Brazilian beef and other food products coming into Europe in spite of the Mercosur trade agreement. It has come to this late in the day. Many of us have been calling out Mercosur and the situation we have with the trade agreement for decades. Deputy Carthy, as an MEP, led the charge in the European Union. At one stage Phil Hogan accepted that they hoped to see foodstuffs taken off the table with regard to the Mercosur trade agreement because of concerns about Brazilian beef. However, it was not taken off. In 2019 we had a motion in the Dáil, one of the few motions the Opposition got through before the most recent election, and all of the Dáil supported ensuring we would mandate the Government to stand firm and put pressure on to ensure the Mercosur trade agreement did not go through because of the concerns outlined with regard to Brazilian beef in particular, but other food products from Brazil as well because of the very low standards. We also had a motion this year about this and there was a battle between farmers, consumers and environmentalists across Europe to ensure people in the European Commission would sit up and listen to the realities on the ground with regard to Brazilian beef and other food products coming from Brazil. We are now at a situation where they have recognised the reality so many of us have been pointing out for so long. They say they will ban this product coming into Europe. However, they are not going to do it for another three months. It makes no sense whatsoever. We want an assurance from Government that it will put maximum pressure on the Commission to ensure any ban going to happen with regard to Brazilian beef happens now, and they do not wait any longer for it. If this food product is dangerous, as has been proven, and is not meeting European standards it should not be given a three-month reprieve before we ensure it stops coming into the European Union. We have to stand firm and ensure consumers are protected and that the farming community meets the same standards everywhere for food coming into anywhere in Europe but particularly in Ireland.

Sentiment score: 0.05

We appreciate that there has been some progress made but we still have a situation where there is no traceability whatsoever with animals, particularly in Brazil. When a calf is born in Ireland it has to be tagged almost immediately. There have to be full checks and records of any medicine or antibiotics it receives. Everything has to be written down and accounted for. They have to meet all the standards. In fact, even the foodstuffs have to be recorded. A farmer told me recently that more records are kept on your calf than on your child in this country to ensure their safety. We recognise that European farmers are meeting a high standard. The farms in Brazil do not meet those standards. Tagging is practically unknown and in some cases, if one of the small number of animals that are tagged dies, the tag is removed from its ear and put on another's. That is the way the system works. It is a complete wild west, as far as anyone can see. To suggest that somehow or other Brazilian farmers are going to meet the standard in the short term is ridiculous. It is not going to happen. I ask again that the Government commit that the date in September is brought forward and that we ban this substance now.

Sentiment score: 0.00