The following motion was moved by Deputy Martin Kenny on Tuesday, 13 January 2026:
That Dáil Éireann:
condemns:
— in the strongest possible terms, the catastrophic failure of the Irish Government to prevent the advancement of the European Union (EU)-Mercosur Trade Agreement, despite many years of warnings, repeated opportunities to build a blocking minority, and repeated appeals from Irish farming organisations, environmental experts and Sinn Féin; and
— the role of the Taoiseach, who not only failed to challenge the Mercosur process, but who previously led the charge in misleading the public on the Lisbon Treaty, dismissing concerns at the time about weakened democratic processes, control over EU trade policy, reduced veto powers and diminishing national leverage;
recognises that:
— the Government's job was to stop the Mercosur Trade Agreement, and that they have failed utterly in this task;
— the Irish Government failed to stand firm, refused to engage seriously with like-minded EU member states, and refused to use Ireland's leverage when it actually mattered;
— at the eleventh hour they have cynically announced, in an act of political cowardice, they will vote against the Mercosur Trade Agreement, only after the deal is effectively locked in at EU level;
— this failure reflects a broader pattern of passivity, complacency and unwillingness to challenge the European Commission on behalf of Irish farmers, Irish environmental obligations, and Ireland's strategic interests; and
— the Irish Government was wrong to dismiss public concerns about the Lisbon Treaty, and that warnings at the time about weakened democratic controls over EU trade policy and reduced national veto power have proven correct in the context of Mercosur;
notes with concern:
— the catastrophic impact that importing 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry into the EU would have on Irish and EU farmers, depressing prices and destabilising rural livelihoods;
— that the Mercosur Trade Agreement runs entirely counter to EU and Irish climate legislation and would incentivise further deforestation, biodiversity loss and environmental destruction in Mercosur countries, particularly Brazil; and
— that agricultural products imported under this agreement are frequently produced using toxic chemicals banned in the EU for decades, and the 2024 EU audit confirmed Brazil cannot reliably trace or guarantee hormone-free beef, yet the Mercosur Trade Agreement would allow exporters to self-certify compliance with EU standards;
further recognises:
— the grave and immediate threat posed to Irish agriculture, the environment, food safety standards and fundamental human rights by the proposed Mercosur Trade Agreement;
— the enormous benefit that Irish agriculture provides to the Irish economy and its essential role in sustaining rural communities, family farms and local industries across the State;
— that Irish farmers are custodians of the land, actively promoting biodiversity, protecting soil and water quality, and working to improve environmental sustainability;
— that Irish agricultural produce is respected worldwide for its high quality, traceability and the rigorous standards to which it is produced;
— the exceptionally high environmental, labour, animal welfare and food safety requirements placed on Irish and EU producers, that imported agri-food products must also meet if there is to be any fairness in international trade;
— the need for sustainable, equitable and enforceable international trade agreements that support, rather than undermine, Irish and EU agricultural sectors and rural economies;
— that tariff reductions can benefit consumers only when they are implemented in a fair, transparent and sustainable manner, and not when they create a race to the bottom on standards;
— the absolute necessity that all imported products meet the same environmental, traceability and animal welfare standards as those required of producers in Ireland and across the EU; and
— the various agreements, declarations and frameworks to which the Irish State is a signatory, including the Rome Declaration on World Food Security, the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; and
calls on the Government to:
— immediately publish a full and detailed account of all legal, political and diplomatic actions it has taken, or intends to take, to oppose the ratification of the Mercosur Trade Agreement, and to outline definitive steps to ensure that Mercosur beef cannot enter the Irish food chain under any circumstances;
— actively and publicly support the legal action taken by members of the European Parliament against the ratification of the Mercosur Trade Agreement;
— mandate all their party Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to vote against the Mercosur Trade Agreement, and launch an urgent diplomatic initiative to build a blocking minority among like-minded EU member states; and
— engage immediately and directly with other MEPs across the political spectrum to urge them to reject the agreement, and to work with civil society, farming organisations and environmental groups to build a broad coalition of opposition at EU level.
The following amendment to the motion was moved by the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Neale Richmond:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes the vote of the European Union (EU) member states on 9th January, which accepted by a qualified majority the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and
recognises that:
— every effort was undertaken by the Government to work with like-minded EU member states who shared concerns with the Mercosur agreement to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the Mercosur Trade Agreement; and
— Government Ministers, including the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence have worked extensively with fellow EU ministers to make changes to the Mercosur Trade Agreement, but the improvements made unfortunately were not acceptable to the Government;
further recognises that:
— following the initial Mercosur Trade Agreement, which was agreed in 2019, the then Government and other EU governments expressed strong objections to the agreement, and required the EU and Mercosur to return to the negotiation table;
— in 2024, the EU and Mercosur agreed an additional legal instrument on trade and sustainability commitments;
— in October 2025, the European Commission (EC) responded to the demands of Ireland and other concerned member states by presenting a number of flanking measures to address the concerns of the agriculture sector;
— these additional measures included:
— a 'safeguards' measure to protect against a surge in import volumes, or price falls in the EU;
— a financial safety net for farmers;
— strengthened sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls along with a 50 per cent increase in audits and checks; and
— commitments on the alignment of production and SPS standards, notably on pesticides and animal welfare;
— the EC has also proposed additional flexibility in the EU budget and to enhance the availability of Common Agricultural Policy funding for farmers and rural communities; and
notes that while the additional commitments are welcome, on balance, the Government considered they are not sufficient to satisfy the concerns of Irish farmers and citizens; and
welcomes, in line with the firm commitment in the Programme for Government that the Government voted against the adoption of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement."
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "qualified majority the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and" and substitute the following:
"calls on the Government to:
— undertake a diplomatic campaign to lobby and campaign a majority of Members of the European Parliament in Europe to oppose the Mercosur Trade Agreement;
— take a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union to test whether or not the Mercosur Trade Agreement conflicts with existing EU Treaties; and
— ensure that the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade seek in-person meetings with the leaders of all political groupings within the European Parliament in advance of any vote taking place on the matter in the EU Parliament, and to ask them to reject the Mercosur Trade Agreement; and
calls on:
— the EU Commission not to implement the Mercosur Trade Agreement before the European Parliament has a chance to vote on the matter; and
— to oppose any importation of beef or poultry products produced at lower regulatory standards than exist in Ireland.".
(Deputy Paul Lawless)
I must now deal with a postponed division relating to a motion on the Mercosur trade agreement, taken on Tuesday, 13 January 2026. On the question, "That the amendment to the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.
Amendment to amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 69; Níl, 85; Staon, 0.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Peadar Tóibín and Paul Lawless; Níl, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie.
Amendment to amendment declared lost.
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 86; Níl, 70; Staon, 0.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 85; Níl, 70; Staon, 0.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Mary Butler and Emer Currie; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.