Farming organisations have welcomed the news that the Irish government plans to vote ‘no’ to the Mercosur trade deal. Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan said that the Government’s decision that Ireland would vote against the Mercosur Agreement was the right decision on both economic and environmental grounds. "There is still time to ensure that all MEPs fully appreciate the likely impacts of this deal on the EU beef sector. There is still time.”In January 2025, MII had estimated a loss of approximately €1.3bn to the EU beef market and a corresponding hit of €100-€130m on the Irish beef market. Since then, the inflationary pressures on the beef market have put the economic loss considerably higher.

Source: Irish Examiner January 08, 2026 21:57 UTC