The Republic of Ireland's forecasts that its beef export sector will be worth €19bn ($€19 billion) by 2025 are under threat from a trade deal being negotiated between the EU and South America's four Mercosur nations, according to an Oireachtas committee report. Irish farmers said expecting people to buy beef flown halfway around the world would undermine the government's sustainability agenda. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association dubbed the EU-Mercosur deal "rank hypocrisy" in expecting Irish farmers to make sacrifices to support green policies while beef was being imported from the other side of the world.
The Republic of Ireland's forecasts that its beef export sector will be worth €19bn ($21.6bn) by 2025 are under threat from a trade deal being negotiated between the EU and South America's four Mercosur nations, according to an Oireachtas committee report. Irish farmers said expecting people to buy beef flown halfway around the world would undermine the government's sustainability agenda. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association dubbed the EU-Mercosur deal "rank hypocrisy" in expecting Irish farmers to make sacrifices to support green policies while beef was being imported from the other side of the world.