The president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Francie Gorman has welcomed the decision by the European Parliament to refer the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The motion, requested by over 100 MEPs, seeking legal advice on whether both elements of the deal comply with the Treaties of the EU was voted on by parliamentarians today (Wednesday, January 21).

334 MEPs voted in favour of the motion during the plenary session of the parliament, while 324 were against.

It could take from 18-24 months for the relevant legal advice to be provided.

Mercosur

Speaking from Strasbourg, IFA president and COPA vice-president Francie Gorman said today’s outcome "lays down an important marker for how trade issues are negotiated".

"When we met our fellow EU farm leaders in Brussels last week, I knew that the vote would be close. This is a great result for the European umbrella farm group Copa Cogeca,” he said.

“The CJEU will now test the deal and see if it stands up to scrutiny. For this, and for future trade deals, it is important that the legality is established before any further steps. The EU Commission has been too hasty in trying to push this through,” Gorman added.

The IFA president acknowledged the Irish MEPs who voted for the referral.

Gorman added that this is "just the latest step in what has been a decades-long campaign".

"IFA will continue to work with our colleagues across Europe to have this deal set aside," he said.