FARMERS in the Republic have claimed a new EU trade deal with countries in South America will "decimate" the local beef market.
Angus Woods of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) claimed the Mercosur deal would lead to the importation of inferior beef and would be worse than a hard Brexit.
Agriculture minister Michael Creed received an angry reception at an agricultural show in Co Cork at the weekend.
He said he accepted it was a bad deal for the agricultural sector at a time when the beef market in Europe is already oversupplied.
"I accept that in the concept of trade agreements generally there is an element of give-and-take and we benefit internationally from trade agreements in terms of opening new markets, but the balance in this one is wrong," he told RTÉ.
Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly said the newly-elected European Parliament will need to take a look at the agreement, adding that it was not a done deal and farmers should ensure their voices are heard.
Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher said the deal will have catastrophic consequences for farmers and his party has already requested an emergency debate in the Dáil.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan said Europe had to concede some ground on beef imports and that the deal included safeguards in relation to food safety and environmental standards.
But Joe Healy, president of the Irish Farmers’ Association, insisted the trade agreement was a bad deal for farmers, the environment and European standards.
