IFA Accuses DG Trade of Reckless Offer on Mercosur

IFA National Chairman Jer Bergin has called on the Irish government to join with France and lead a storm of protest by member states on Mercosur at the EU Commission’s Trade Policy Committee meeting in Brussels tomorrow (Friday).

 

Jer Bergin said there was clear opposition from 20 member states at this week’s Farm Council meeting to the Commission’s draft trade offer on sensitive products such as beef.  “The EU already has an agricultural trade deficit with Mercosur of €18.5bn. Member States must reject the flawed strategy from Commissioner Malmstrom of sacrificing agriculture, in particular the Irish and EU beef sector, to do a trade deal at any cost.”

 

Jer Bergin said it is incredible that the EU Commission is offering a new Tariff Rate Quota of 78,000 tonnes to the Mercosur group on top of the preferential 275,000 tonnes access they already have. “If the majority of these imports were brought is as high value steak cuts, it would be the equivalent of handing over more than one third of the valuable European steak market to South America.”

 

The IFA National Chairman accused DG Trade of drafting a reckless offer by running ahead of the Commission’s own impact analysis which isn’t due until September. He called on the Trade Policy Committee to insist that Commissioner Malmstrom withdraw the draft offer.