‘Time to put the pressure on’ – Mayo farmers to protest against Mercosur agreement on Saturday
Independent Ireland councillor Chris Maxwell has said Saturday’s national protest against the Mercosur trade agreement will go ahead “full strength,” despite news that it has been approved by the EU Council.
The Mayo-based councillor, a full-time sheep and cattle farmer himself, believes the Irish Government’s late intervention on the matter has only reinforced the need for a strong public show of opposition.
“The protest is going ahead full strength and now is the time to put the pressure on,” he said, adding that the Government should have voiced their opposition to the agreement months ago and said that yesterday’s announcement only came “because of political pressure and because of our protest.”
It was reported on Friday morning that the Mercosur trade agreement had been approved by the EU Council with a qualified majority. Ireland, France, Poland, Austria and Hungary voted against the agreement, while Belgium abstained.
The remaining member states, including Italy, supported it. EU capitals had until 5pm Brussels time on Friday, January 9, (4pm GMT) to give written confirmation of their votes.
However, the deal still requires approval from the European Parliament, which is expected to vote on the agreement in the coming weeks.
The protest is going ahead full strength and now is the time to put the pressure on
Cllr Maxwell, stressed that until a vote is taken in Strasbourg, it is crucial for Ireland to continue voicing opposition to the agreement.
“No matter what happens on Friday, the deal will ultimately be decided by the MEPs who have to vote on it,” he said.
He also said that it was vital for Ireland continue to apply pressure to MEPs and confirmed that his party has heard reports of increasing opposition among farmers in Italy.
While Italy had initially been expected to vote against the deal, it ultimately supported it in the EU Council vote.
Cllr Maxwell believes, however, that farmers on the ground in Italy are now stepping up their lobbying efforts, urging their MEPs to vote against the agreement when it reaches the European Parliament.
“Italy is upping the ante again, and it’s all to play for,” he said, “It’ll be down to a big show of strength across Ireland and Europe to put pressure on all our MEPs to vote against this deal.”
Momentum behind Saturday’s demonstration in Athlone has continued to build over the past week, with Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly, one of the organisers, describing it as potentially “one of the biggest community protests Ireland has ever seen”.
The Irish Farmers Journal reported that up to 10,000 people are expected to attend from across the country.
Cllr Maxwell said the public response to the Mercosur agreement underlined the importance of organising a protest to help demonstrate how strongly opposed the people are to the agreement.
It’ll be down to a big show of strength across Ireland and Europe to put pressure on all our MEPs to vote against this deal
He also criticised what he described as a lack of leadership from the Taoiseach in recent days.
“We have been listening to Micháel Martin dithering for the last ten days about his position and not coming out to show clear leadership,
“I think Micháel Martin is in shock since the Jim Gavin debacle, it's time now he came back down to reality and put the people of his country first,” he said - adding that the Taoiseach only issued his statement informing the public that Ireland will vote against the agreement because he “knew the Government was going to fall apart if he didn’t stand up”.
At the heart of Saturday’s protest, Cllr Maxwell said, is the future of Irish farming and rural communities.
“This deal is a sell-out of Irish farmers and of rural Ireland. It will have serious implications down the road and we want to stop it in its tracks.”
He stressed that the rally is not opposed to trade itself, but stated that it was calling for future trade agreements of this nature to include safeguards that protect Irish agriculture and farmers.
“We have the finest agricultural standards in the world, we want to keep it that way and keep rural Ireland alive and well. We want to encourage farming and our rural way of life, to nourish and treasure it and leave it there for the next generation.”
Cllr Maxwell raised serious concerns about agricultural standards in South America and the impact of Mercosur on both European and indigenous farmers.
“Agriculture is unregulated in South America, [they use] antibiotics, angel dust and everything else, and what people don’t realise is that farming out there is on a massive scale, and they are hoping to get bigger. That’s why they are cutting down the Amazon rainforest to improve agriculture,” he said.
“They don’t talk in hundreds of acres there, they talk in thousands of hectares for farming,” he warned, adding that indigenous farming communities are being destroyed in the process.
“The indigenous farmers in South America’s livelihoods are at stake no more than the farmers in this country. We agree with trade, but the people of each country and the farmers in each country have to be respected - that's the bottom line from my stand and from Independent Ireland’s stand.”
This deal is a sell-out of Irish farmers and of rural Ireland. It will have serious implications down the road and we want to stop this deal in its tracks
While Mercosur is the immediate focus of Saturday’s rally, Cllr Maxwell said it also reflects wider frustrations across rural Ireland.
“The farming community has dealt with restrictions being imposed on them for years now. Enough is enough. They already sold out our fishermen, and our hauliers are next. People have had enough of restrictions being imposed on them by the Government and by the EU,” he said.
Cllr Maxwell explained that his personal opposition to Mercosur is ultimately rooted in protecting rural life, and in ensuring it can be kept alive and passed on to the next generation.
“We are small farmers here in the west of Ireland, we do have to work on the side, but farming is a way of life,” he said, pointing to a rural tradition defined by hard work, independence and a connection to the land.
He stressed that Saturday’s demonstration would be peaceful and said its message would be clear: “Look after Irish people and Irish farmers. They have to come first in this country.”
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.