IFA President Francie Gorman said the Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris should clarify immediately where his party stands on the Mercosur trade deal.
“Farmers would be concerned to hear a Fine Gael MEP speak in favour of the deal on this morning’s Today programme on RTĖ Radio 1. The official position of the Irish Government has been that it is working to oppose the deal,” he said.
The Programme for Government is very clear. It says:
‘Work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal.’
Francie Gorman said the recall of Brazilian beef by the EU authorities in the last month is a very serious matter for the public health of European citizens.
“Regina Doherty made a great play of the work underway on safeguards, but this latest revelation shows they are redundant. The so-called safeguards make no reference to public health. The findings of the investigation carried out by the IFA and the Irish Farmers Journal last month bear out the complete lack of controls that exist in the production systems in Brazil. The EU authorities cannot have any faith in the control systems in Brazil. Ignoring this is putting public and consumer health at risk,” he said.
The IFA President said all imports should be stopped and food imports removed from the trade deal.
“In the meantime, there is an obligation on the Fine Gael leader to re-affirm his party’s position as set out in the Programme for Government,” he concluded.
