ICSA Beef chair John Cleary has said it is shocking and deeply concerning that Ireland was not represented at a key meeting last week of ten EU countries who have voiced serious reservations about the Mercosur Trade Deal. "This was a critical opportunity to stand with like-minded member states in pushing for agriculture to be kept out of the agreement. The fact that Ireland was not at the table is simply inexplicable," he said.

The meeting, convened by France, focused on the inclusion of an 'emergency brake' on agricultural imports - a mechanism that could be triggered to restrict imports if EU markets were destabilised.

 Continuing, Mr Cleary said, "ICSA has consistently argued that no compromise is acceptable when it comes to flooding the EU market with beef produced to lower standards. However, if this deal is to proceed, an emergency brake is the bare minimum safeguard we should be fighting for. The inclusion of agricultural imports, especially beef, would be disastrous for Irish farmers and completely undermines EU standards on climate, animal welfare, and food safety. Ultimately, any move to ratify this agreement, with or without so-called safeguards, is a direct betrayal of EU farmers."

 Mr Cleary said that Ireland's absence from the meeting sends the wrong signal and weakens our position at a crucial moment. "If we want to protect Irish farming and rural communities, we need to be fully engaged in these discussions and working in lockstep with other EU countries that share our concerns and recognise the dangers this deal poses," he said.

 Concluding, Mr Cleary said ICSA is calling on Minister Heydon and the Irish Government as a whole to step up and show real leadership on this issue. "We must use every possible lever at EU level to oppose this deal. Ireland has a unique role to play as a major beef producer within the EU, and failure to engage at key political moments like this lets our farmers down. This is a time for maximum diplomatic effort - not passive observation."