Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said his attention has turned to monitoring potential market impacts of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

The minister made the comments while addressing the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) annual general meeting (AGM) in Portlaoise yesterday (Tuesday, March 10).

"As we all know, the European Commission has moved ahead with the provisional application of the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement.

"The government will also engage closely with the commission to ensure that it follows through on its additional commitments in relation to food safety and environmental standards, as well as its stated intention to better align the production standards of imported products, particularly pesticides and animal welfare, with EU production standards," he said.

Mercosur

Last month, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the commission will provisionally apply the controversial trade agreement.

The announcement followed Argentina and Uruguay becoming the first Mercosur countries to ratify the deal.

Last week, Brazil finalised its approval ​of the free trade ‌agreement after the country's senate voted in favour.

The ⁠agreement still has to be voted on in ​the lower house ​of ⁠congress in Paraguay.

The agreement, which has been 25 years in the making, will create one of the world's biggest free trade zones, covering a market of over 700 million consumers.

As part of the agreement, 99,000t of Mercosur beef will be allowed to enter the EU market with a 7.5% duty.

While agreement will allow a 180,000t annual duty-free quota for poultry to be phased over five years.

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement still requires approval from the European Parliament before it can be formally ratified.

In January, a majority of MEPs voted by a tight margin in favour of a motion to seek legal advice from European Court of Justice.

ICSA

President of ICSA, Sean McNamara slammed the commission's decision to provisionally apply the agreement before the EU Parliament has voted.

"Pushing ahead with this deal before the democratic process is complete shows a blatant disregard for farmers and for the democratic institutions of the European Union.

"It is deeply disturbing and deeply unfair to Irish farmers. It has never been more important for our government and our MEPs to stand up for Irish farmers in Europe," he said.

McNamara said this "matters even more when we look at the other expectations now being placed on farmers".

"Farmers are being asked to play a major role in environmental protection and nature restoration. Farmers are willing to play their part, but policies must be practical, realistic and workable on real farms.

"They must also recognise the need to maintain food production and protect the viability of farm families at the same time. Above all, they must be fair.

"After what we have seen with Mercosur and at Bord Bia, policymakers in Ireland and Europe will find it very difficult to look farmers in the eye and ask them to engage with nature restoration," he said.