Brussels, 22/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - Shortly after the visit by Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht to Paraguay and Uruguay (7-9 February), and on the eve of the exchange of the first offers in mid-March between the European and South American negotiators, Ireland, which is concerned about the impact of a free-trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay with Venezuelan in the process of joining) on its agriculture, particularly its beef sector, pulled the alarm cord on Monday 21 February.
The beef export quotas called for by the Mercosur countries are “simply not acceptable”, said Irish Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith on the sidelines of a meeting with his European counterparts in Brussels on 21 February. Although he has told Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloº of his fears as to the impact of the agreement on the Irish beef sector, the Irish minister has also raised the issue in bilateral sessions with other delegations, according to the daily newspaper Irish Independent in its Tuesday 22 February edition. “While the CAP ensures that EU beef is produced in a sustainable manner, the same is not necessarily the case elsewhere, and it makes no environmental sense for the EU to allow its production to be displaced by less sustainable systems (…). The importance and value of the beef sector cannot be underestimated. In 2010, the value of Irish beef exports rose by an estimated 8% to €1.5 billion, and we are now in a position where 89% of output is exported”, Smith said on Monday.
Last week, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) stepped forward to denounce the tactics employed by Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, accusing him of double standards for agricultural products produced in the EU and outside it, and of not adequately defending European interests, particularly on issues of food security, sustainability, climate and standards. “Such an agreement would be a disaster for farming in Ireland and the EU. De Gucht is sacrificing agriculture, particularly the beef sector, to conclude an agreement at all costs. The negative implications for EU agriculture of very substantial, with losses put at tens of billions of euros, whilst the advantages to other sectors of the EU are not at all clear”, the IFA warned.
Speaking to the press after the Agriculture Council on Monday afternoon, Cioloº took pains to reassure his audience, promising a “balanced proposal” on the part of the EU when the submission of offers between European and South American negotiators resumes as planned in mid-March. “There will be no big surprises as to our offer in agriculture, and we will also take account, in our debates with Mercosur, of the proposals the EU will make at Doha on these specific products”, said the commissioner. (E.H./L.C./transl.fl)