European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will to travel to South America on Saturday (January 17) to sign the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement.

That is according to Midlands–North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly who said he has been informed of the plans despite farmer protests against the controversial deal.

On Friday (January 9), a majority of EU member states voted in favour of the deal. The only countries which voted against were: Ireland; France; Hungary; Poland and Austria. Belgium abstained.

Following that vote, President von der Leyen now plans to travel to Paraguay this weekend to sign the deal with the Mercosur bloc which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Before the agreement, which would create the largest free trade zone in the world, can be formally concluded, the European Parliament will have to give its consent.

Mercosur

MEP Mullooly has called on Ireland's European Commissioner Michael McGrath to intervene and ensure that no steps are taken to advance or implement the Mercosur deal without a vote of the European Parliament.

The Independent Ireland MEP highlighted the scale of opposition on the ground to the deal during a meeting of the EU Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) yesterday.

"Over the course of the last seven days, farmers all over Europe have taken to the streets again.

"On the streets of Poland, Germany and Italy, and at the weekend more than 30,000 people in my own member state of Ireland raised concerns about food safety and the threat to livelihoods," he said.

Mullooly warned that reports suggesting the agreement could be implemented before a parliamentary vote would represent a "dangerous" and "undemocratic" precedent.

“Are we, as a committee, going to stand by while this process continues and allow our parliament to be sidestepped with haste as this trade agreement is pushed into place?" he said.

The MEP also personally delivered a petition signed by more than 30,000 people opposing the Mercosur deal to a member of Ursula von der Leyen’s staff in Brussels yesterday.