The reality of this deal is simple. It is a sell-out. It is a sell-out of Irish farmers, our food standards and even our environmental protections. The European Commission has forced through this agreement, completely ignoring the huge cost it brings to the people of Ireland and of Europe. The cost of this deal is Irish livelihoods. Irish farmers cannot fairly compete with cheap imports from Mercosur countries with lower standards. The cost of this deal is our public health. It weakens the standard of food within the EU by allowing imports produced with EU-banned pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. What is it for? It is to increase the profits of giant businesses. This has been a catastrophic failure by the Government. It has to see that. The Government should have been there to protect Irish farmers and protect Irish people. It has failed to do that by failing to stand up against Mercosur. This agreement was not sprung on us. An Teachta Kerrane has just outlined how this has been raised in the Chamber numerous times, and an Teachta Carthy spoke about how this has been talked about for decades. It was not sprung on us. There has been a long-standing campaign against Mercosur, rightly so. As a nation, we are proud of our beef. Our beef is known around the world for being of very high quality. That did not come about by accident. It comes down to the hard work of farmers for generations, and not just their hard work, but their passion and their pride in their produce. Irish farmers adhere to the highest standards when it comes to traceability, animal welfare and environmental standards, and they do so willingly to ensure the best quality. Then, what happens? The Government does not stand up to protect that. It does not have that same pride in our beef, in our standards and in our quality. We know that the same traceability and regulation are just not there when it comes to Mercosur countries. Beef is produced using hormones and antibiotics that are simply banned in the EU. It is not a level playing field for our farmers, and it is not right for our people. The Government has failed our farmers but, equally, it has failed our people. For those who do not think this is related to them, the environmental damage is catastrophic. It is related to public health, environmental standards and common decency.

Sentiment score: -0.00