84. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the engagements he has had in relation to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19775/26]

Sentiment score: 0.20

Will the Minister outline the engagements he has had on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, specifically with regard to the provisional implementation of that deal by the European Commission?

Sentiment score: 0.59

This deal obviously represents a serious threat to the future of Irish agriculture and to our farmers, who operate to the highest standards in the world in terms of food production but will now face competition from Mercosur countries where the same food production and environmental standards are not in place. It is not a level playing field. The Parliament voted to refer this deal to the European Court of Justice because of the concerns about its legality. However, the Commission has set in motion a process to implement the deal anyway. This shows a blatant disregard for the democratic views of the European Parliament. It is a shameful decision by Ursula von der Leyen and the Commission. We now need to see decisive action from the Government to prevent the provisional application of this deal. The Minister mentioned safeguards but what specific actions is he taking to stop the provisional application of this deal? Is the Irish Government opposed to that provisional implementation?

Sentiment score: -0.08

There will be a huge impact on agriculture through this deal, so it is very relevant to the Minister. There is a concern out there because Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil sat on the fence for years when it came to this deal. It was not until the day before the vote that they came out and said they were going to outright oppose the deal. It is now being provisionally applied even though the European Parliament has voted to refer it to the European Court of Justice as it is not satisfied with the legality of the agreement. The Government cannot be passive in the face of this. It needs to take a clear position on this and work with other member states to halt the provisional application of this deal. It is detrimental to Irish farming. Irish farmers have been clear about that and their views on it. As Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon's job is to represent those farmers, their views and their best interests. What specific actions is the Minister going to take? I understand what he is saying about safeguards and so on, and all of that is important, but what specific actions is he taking to oppose and stop the provisional implementation of this deal?

Sentiment score: 0.21

It was the day before the vote.

Sentiment score: 0.00