Mayo TD says pressure must follow as Mercosur vote goes to Europe

Aontú TD Paul Lawless, who addressed the national Mercosur protest over the weekend, said the next and decisive phase of the campaign now moves to the European Parliament.

Deputy Lawless said that while public pressure has forced the Irish Government to step back from supporting Mercosur, the agreement now advances to the European Parliament, where it can still be approved.

“Mercosur is not dead. The vote that matters is now in Europe, and that is where pressure must be intensified and sustained,” Deputy Lawless said.

Europe‑Wide lobbying of members of the European Parliament

Deputy Lawless confirmed that he is now preparing a comprehensive list of every Member of the European Parliament, both in Ireland and across the European Union, and will actively lobby them ahead of any parliamentary vote.

“The Mercosur trade agreement will come before the European Parliament in the coming weeks. Every Member of the European Parliament will be asked to vote, and every one of them must understand the real consequences of this deal for farmers, food standards, and consumers,” he said.

As part of this process, Deputy Lawless is seeking meetings with MEPS across Europe including Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil MEPs, where voting intentions remain unclear.

Boycott campaign

Deputy Lawless said Aontú is now working to build a coordinated approach with farming organisations, environmental bodies, and food standards organisations in response to Mercosur.

He said this work will focus on two key actions: Preparing a coordinated boycott campaign targeting imported beef and poultry linked to Mercosur countries, beginning in Ireland with plans to expand across Europe; Strengthening food labelling requirements, so consumers can clearly identify Mercosur‑linked products.

“If political institutions fail to defend food standards and family farms, consumers will be left with no choice but to act,” Deputy Lawless said.

Deputy Lawless said an immediate priority is examining how Brazilian beef linked to banned growth hormones was able to enter the Irish market.

“If beef produced using substances banned in the European Union since the nineteen‑eighties can already reach Irish plates, it exposes serious weaknesses in enforcement,” he said.

He confirmed that Aontú will work across parties to establish: how this occurred; what checks failed; how such breaches can be prevented now and into the future.

“Expanding trade under Mercosur while existing controls are clearly failing is reckless,” he added.

Mandatory Mercosur Labelling

Deputy Lawless said food labelling must be urgently strengthened to protect consumers and restore confidence in enforcement.

“People have a right to know where their food comes from and under what standards it was produced,” he said.

He confirmed that Aontú will campaign for mandatory Mercosur origin labelling on all beef and poultry imported into the European Union, ensuring transparency and informed consumer choice.

“Irish farmers are held to world‑leading standards while being asked to compete against food produced under conditions that would be illegal here. That is not fair trade,” Deputy Lawless said. “The Mercosur vote is moving to Europe, and so must the pressure. Aontú will oppose this deal at every level.

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