Mayo farmers encouraged to attend Mercosur protest in Athlone
THE Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) are encouraging their members and all farmers to attend the Independent Ireland Mercosur protest which will be held in Athlone this Saturday.
National president Pheilim Molloy has stressed the need for farmers to make every effort to attend, saying: “We need to send a strong message to our government and our MEPs that this deal is unacceptable.”
The INHFA has continually expressed deep concern and outright opposition to the proposed EU-Mercosur Trade Deal.
Said Mr. Molloy: “This deal represents a serious and immediate threat to the Irish beef industry - and in particular to our suckler farmers who continue to produce a world-class, grass-fed premium product under some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world.
“If ratified, the deal will open the European market to large volumes of beef produced in countries where environmental, animal welfare and traceability standards fall far short of those required of Irish and EU farmers.
“This will effectively force our suckler farmers to compete on an uneven playing field, one where their commitment to quality, sustainability, and regulation is punished rather than rewarded.”
The INHFA leader also took issue with the proposed safeguards and protections that proponents say will be built into the deal.
He detailed how the analysis the organisation has conducted indicates that these safeguards are quite weak, will be difficult to implement, and ultimately unenforceable. “The policing mechanisms in Mercosur countries are, he continued, “not sufficiently robust to ensure that imported beef meets the standards demanded of EU producers and to pretend otherwise is to mislead both farmers and consumers.”
Mr. Molloy stressed: “Irish beef farmers are being used as a sacrificial pawn in a much bigger geopolitical chess game and while some sectors may benefit from increased export, it is the Irish suckler farmer - the backbone of our rural economy and custodian of our landscapes - that will pay the price.”
He called on all Irish politicians and political parties - regardless of affiliation - to stand up and be counted and encouraged farmers and all those in rural Ireland to come to Athlone and make their voice heard.