Trade Agreements
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-14
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

It is very clear, as I sit on the AGRIFISH Council, that some of my colleague Ministers for agriculture speak glowingly of the Mercosur agreement and what it would mean for their farmers and agricultural sectors. There are some countries that are very strongly of the view that this an agreement that should have been agreed ages ago. Not every country is opposed to it.
We work with like-minded countries. I will be the chair of the AGRIFISH Council from 1 July next year when Ireland takes over the Presidency of the EU. I am meeting with many colleagues in bilateral meetings on what their priorities are for renegotiating the CAP and other issues. In all of those meetings I am highlighting my specific concerns around Mercosur. Because of the fact that we will be in the chair next year as a country, when they tell me what their priorities are, I will take the opportunity to highlight what our priorities are on the CAP, how we have to maintain the nitrates derogation and our serious concerns on the Mercosur deal. The fact is that a minimum of four countries is needed for a blocking minority for the Mercosur agreement, if and when it comes to a vote. There would not be a vote at the AGRIFISH Council. It would be either a vote of the trade or of the ambassadors. We know what qualified majority voting means as well.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-10-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-14