I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Mercosur trade deal and I welcome the farmers to the Gallery this evening. As an urban TD I have to put on the record that I have been contacted by a large number of constituents who have raised this trade deal with me in the run-up to last week's vote. They were concerned about two things, namely, food safety and the damage to the environment. I was shocked to read the report produced by the Irish Farmers' Journal. Its journalists travelled to Brazil and investigated just how easy it is to buy growth hormones for cattle, as well as antibiotics and other products that were banned in Europe or that require a prescription. They were able to walk up to the counters in the shop. They did not speak Portuguese. They were able to point at the bottles and buy them. No prescription or identification was needed and there were no checks whatsoever. The lack of controls or oversight on the sale and use of these products has serious implications for the Irish and European food chains. In terms of the environment, there are farmers in Brazil with 50,000 or more cattle and they are clearing huge tracts of rainforest for grazing. When this beef is ready to export it is being sent halfway around the world to Europe. Seriously, how does the Minister of State square that with Ireland's commitment to protect the environment? The Government needs to take action. It needs to do everything in its power to oppose the ratification of this trade agreement.

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Hear, hear.

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