The decision by the EU Council to approve the Mercosur trade deal was a bad day for Ireland. It is bad for our public health, our environment, our agricultural industry and our citizens. The Government's eleventh hour conversion to opposing the deal was a cynical move to save votes but the public and the farming community saw through this manoeuvre. The Government only made the decision to oppose this dodgy deal when it was safe in the knowledge it would have passed because of Italy's decision to support it.

Sentiment score: -0.12

For years, Sinn Féin has been highlighting the reasons we should oppose this deal. We urged this Government to come out and join us in campaigning against the Mercosur deal but it sat silently refusing to defend Ireland's interests until the last minute when it was too late. Sinn Féin will continue to actively campaign to put an end to this disastrous deal. Our MEPs Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion are taking a legal challenge against the deal and there will be a vote on it in the EU Parliament. Sinn Féin is calling on the Government to put into the public domain all legal, political and diplomatic actions it will now take to stop the Mercosur trade deal. We are also calling on the Government to publicly support the legal action being taken by members of the European Parliament against the ratification of the Mercosur agreement and, finally, we ask that the Government mandates its MEPs to vote against the deal and build a blocking minority among like-minded EU member states.

Sentiment score: -0.00