IFA Opposition to Mercosur Remains Resolute

IFA President Francie Gorman said the decision by the EU Commission to allow the Mercosur deal to come into effect provisionally today, pending a decision by the European Parliament, does not take away from the issues that exist for farmers here.

“The Commission is saying this week that more audits will be done in Brazil. But this underlines how inadequate the existing oversight is. The findings from the IFA/Farmers Journal investigation more than six months ago laid bare the inability of Brazil to meet the standards set down by the EU. The EU Commission cannot expect farmers to have trust in the system when they see the scale of the shortcomings,” he said.

Francie Gorman said co-decision within the EU means the role of the European Parliament should be respected in the process.

“MEPs are directly elected in each Member State, unlike the EU Commission which is appointed. As the Parliament has a say, it should have its input before any further move was made,” he said.

The IFA President said IFA will continue to oppose the deal because of the failure of beef and poultry imports from the Mercosur region to meet the very rigorous standards that apply to European producers.

“Those who support the deal cannot deny that an issue exists with imports. The EU Commission is in denial and no extra number of audits will deal with this fundamental point,” he concluded.