I welcome the fact that the Irish Government has, on behalf of its people, voted against the Mercosur trade deal. This deal will open the floodgates to Brazilian beef produced to standards far below what we demand here and contaminated with banned growth hormones and antibiotics, as exposed by the Irish Farmers Journal. Our farmers, who uphold the highest food safety and animal welfare standards, will face devastating losses in the beef and poultry sectors. Rural Ireland cannot be sacrificed for cheap imports that undermine public health and destroy livelihoods. The Government needs to keep sending a clear message that we stand with Irish farmers and for quality. In the next few weeks, each MEP in Europe will have a vote for or against the Mercosur deal. Our Independent Ireland MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, has been in Brussels since Sunday lobbying fellow MEPs from Italy and other countries to vote "No". It is alarming that three MEPs out of 14 in Ireland are saying they are going to vote in favour of the Mercosur deal. Can the Taoiseach tell me today that the Government will apply the whip to MEPs Barry Andrews, Seán Kelly and Regina Doherty to have them vote against the Mercosur deal in the same way that it has?

Sentiment score: -0.05

I asked about the whip on the three MEPs.

Sentiment score: 0.00