Sinn Féin has been clear and consistent for years in opposing the EU–Mercosur trade deal. It is bad for Irish agriculture. Farmers, exporters and rural communities are telling us that. It is also bad for food standards. Every expert is telling us that and the evidence that has already been mentioned indicates it. It is bad for rural communities. Is mar Thadhg an dá thaobh atá an Rialtas, atá ag cur an dallamullóg ar mhuintir na hÉireann agus ar an bpobal tuaithe. For years, farmers have warned the Government of the damage this deal would do to income, confidence, the future of generational farming and the brand Irish farmers and Irish Governments have worked hard to create and export around the world. They warned how it threatened to flood the European market with beef produced to standards that would be illegal here – beef linked to deforestation, weaker animal welfare rules and lower labour protection. Those warnings were dismissed by those opposite me. We were told concerns were overstated, and many Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael MEPs, TDs and Senators have been saying in the media in the past 24 hours how these concerns were overstated, but not one of them has sat here in this Chamber for this debate. That tells its own story. Not one Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael backbencher has made it their business to be here in the Chamber today. In fact, there is nobody from Fianna Fáil in the Chamber today-----
Sentiment score: -0.16
-----and that is telling. The Minister of State can try to dress it up how he wants but they are not here for this debate.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Now, on the eve of ratification-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
I did not interrupt the Minister of State and I will not interrupt him when he speaks later.
Sentiment score: 0.47
On the eve of ratification, the Government has performed a dramatic U-turn, knowing there will be no cost to doing so for a domestic audience, to try to save face somewhat. It has suddenly claimed to oppose the deal. The members of the Government parties, including Ministers, and Irish Government representatives in Brussels previously spoke in favour of Mercosur. Let us not rewrite the record here. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been championing this deal for many years, speaking from both sides of their mouths. Nobody has changed their position on this except the Government, but we all see that the emperor has no clothes and that the about-face in the media last week was nothing more than playing to a domestic agenda. However, nobody is falling for it. Rural communities are not, nor is the Irish farming industry.
Sentiment score: 0.09