Wexford TD James Browne has called on the Agriculture Minister to ensure that Wexford farmers interests are represented in Europe and called on him to oppose any ratification of the Mercosur deal due to the fact the full impact of Brexit has not yet emerged.
He was responding to the announcement that negotiators from the European Union and the South American Mercosur trading block have agreed a trade deal.  
Deputy Browne told WexfordToday.com; “The deal has always had the potential to damage the Wexford farming industry but combined with the possible loss of trade in the British market as a result of Brexit, Mercosur could prove catastrophic. This deal will see 99,000 tonnes of South American beef allowed into the European market every year. This will have a huge impact on prices, at a time when beef farmers here are already to the pin of their collars.” 

“This deal will also have a detrimental impact on the environment. It seems ironic that on the one hand the government and the EU talks about reducing our carbon footprint to mitigate climate change, while on the other they have no issue with flying South American beef thousands of kilometres into Europe.

“I’ve spoken with a number of Wexford beef farmers who are very angry with the proposals and fearful for their futures. Minister Creed knows that this is a bad deal for Ireland. He must engage with his European counterparts to ensure that there is no decision to ratify this deal given that we do not know what the full impact of Brexit will be,” concluded Deputy Browne.