16/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - EU/Mercosur, De Gucht under attack from Irish farmers. The head of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) laid into EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht on Monday, accusing him of using double standards for food grown in the EU and outside, and failing to properly defend EU interests in the free trade zone talks with Mercosur over food security, sustainability, climate change and standards: “It would be a disaster for European and Irish agriculture. The commissioner is sacrificing agriculture, and particularly the beef and livestock sector, to secure a Mercosur deal at any cost. The negative implications for European agriculture from a Mercosur deal are very substantial with losses estimated at tens of billions of euro, while the possible benefits to other EU sectors are not at all evident”, warned John Bryan at a conference in Brussels on Monday, in a speech reported upon in Irish newspaper Irish Examiner. (E.H/transl.fl)