Speaking on the leak by Greenpeace of 171 pages of classified documents relating to the EU-Mercosur trade deal, Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy said:

“Mercusor, like TTIP, CETA and the Japan and Singapore Free Trade Agreements has  been shrouded in secrecy until now.

“The papers released by Greenpeace are a damning indictment of the Irish Government and the European Commission’s failure to protect farmers.

“These documents, dated 19 July 2017, come from documents sent to the Council of the EU’s Trade Policy Committee.

“This committee is made up of trade experts from national governments. This means that the Irish Department of Agriculture saw and signed off on these offers before they were made to Mercosur parties.

“What is even more worrying is that one leaked document shows that an offer of 78,000 tonnes of beef, 12,250 tonnes of pork, 78,000 tonnes of poultry and 2,000 tonnes of sheep meat were made in 2016.

“We now know that Phil Hogan’s promise that beef was off the table in May of last year was a complete lie.

“Aside from the enormous tariff free quotas being offered for beef, poultry, pork and sheep meat, there are also worrying developments concerning the protection of any Irish products that make their way to Southern American markets.

“The leaks show that a “Made in the EU” stamp only will be used meaning Irish products may lose their distinctive advantage.

“The leaks also make clear that the latest surge in pace of the negotiations comes from the aggressive offensive by EU negotiators in favour of the German automobile sector.

“There are no benefits from this deal for Irish farmers or consumers. “

Mercosur leaks a “damning indictment of EU Commission and Irish Government failure to protect farmers

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