THE IFA has pledged to work with the European farmers and co-operative group – COPA-COGECA – to influence as many MEPs as possible to vote against the Mercosur Trade Deal when it comes up for Parliament approval, probably in March.

Galway IFA Chairman, Stephen Canavan, told the Farming Tribune that the battle was far from over as regards the important of cheaper beef from the South American countries – product that had little or no controls as regards antibiotic or hormone inputs.

He said that last Saturday’s protest in Athlone – organised by the Independent Ireland party and supported by the IFA – showed the depth of support across all sectors of the community for the stance of Irish farmers.

“We as farmers have conformed to every regulation and standard that has been applied and the result has been that the produce of Irish farms is recognised as simply being world class.

“After all that effort and hard work over the decades, do we then allow cheap South American beef to flood the Irish and European markets which in most cases has no standards or checks at all, in terms of how it is produced,” said Stephen Canavan.

He added that if the deal was eventually passed it would be absolutely imperative that this South American was clearly labelled on the supermarket shelves and that it was also clearly identified in the content of processed meats and in the catering sector.

“Irish consumers are very much clued in as regards the quality and origins of food that they consume – last Saturday, I met one woman from Dublin, who had travelled down specially to support Irish farmers,” said Stephen Canavan.

He said that both the volume and sincerity of the support that was evident at Saturday’s Athlone protest showed the depth of feeling that was there over the implications of the Mercosur deal for both farmers and consumers.

The main organisers of the protest – Independent Ireland’s MEP, Ciaran Mullooly and Roscommon-Galway TD, Michael Fitzmaurice – have pledged that the ‘battle is far from over’ on the Mercosur Deal.

Ciaran Mullooly told Saturday’s protest that regardless of Italy’s ‘change of heart’ in moving to support the approval of Mercosur, he had been told by Italian MEPs that this is not over and they will vote no to it, in the European Parliament.

At a vote in Brussels last Friday, ambassadors representing their respective Governments, voted 21-5 to pass the Mercosur Trade Deal. Ireland, along with France, Poland Austria and Hungary voted against, with Belgium abstaining.

Copa Cogeca, said while that the passing of the Mercosur Deal last week was no surprise at last week’s vote, European farming and agri-cooperative organisations remained unanimous and united in denouncing a deal which is fundamentally unbalanced and flawed in its core. “This deep conviction only strengthens our determination and mobilisation,” COPA-COGECA stated.

Pictured: Stephen Canavan: The battle goes on!