Opponents of the Mercosur trade agreement are calling on MEPs to vote against the controversial deal, with additional measures planned including an organised boycott targetting imported beef and poultry – while a petition gathering 30,000 signatures opposing the agreement has presented to
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. “The vote that matters is now in Europe, and that is where pressure must be intensified and sustained,” Deputy Lawless said.
“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 he said voting intentions remain unclear.
The Mayo TD 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; and 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 campaign for mandatory Mercosur origin labelling on all beef and poultry imported into the European Union, ensuring transparency and informed consumer choice.
Meanwhile, Midlands–North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly today delivered a 30,000-name petition opposing Mercosur to EU Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, and challenged the EU Agriculture Committee to defend the EU Parliament’s right to vote on the deal.
The Independent Ireland MEP also called on the former Fianna Fáil TD, and now EU Commissioner for Democracy, Michael McGrath, to intervene
Mr Mullooly challenged the entire European Parliament AGRI Committee n session today, asking whether it intends to stand by while the Parliament and its agriculture committee are effectively sidestepped in the rush to advance the EU–Mercosur trade deal.
Speaking at today’s AGRI Committee meeting -the first of 2026 – Mullooly asked colleagues directly whether they are prepared to allow a major trade agreement with profound consequences for European agriculture to proceed without full parliamentary scrutiny and approval.
“Are we, as a committee, going to stand by while this process continues,” Mullooly asked, “and allow our Parliament to be sidestepped with haste as this trade agreement is pushed into place?”
The intervention came as Mullooly also personally delivered a petition signed by more than 30,000 people opposing the Mercosur deal to a member of Ursula von der Leyen’s staff in Brussels.
The Midlands MEP said he has been informed that Commission President von der Leyen plans to travel to South America on 17 January to sign the agreement, despite widespread farmer protests and unresolved concerns across the EU.
Mullooly has now called on Commissioner Michael McGrath to intervene and ensure that no steps are taken to advance or implement the Mercosur deal without a vote of the European Parliament.
During the committee meeting, Mullooly highlighted the scale of opposition on the ground.
“Over the course of the last seven days, farmers all over Europe have taken to the streets again,” he said. “On the streets of Poland, Germany and Italy, and at the weekend more than 30,000 people in my own Member State of Ireland raised concerns about food safety and the threat to livelihoods.”
He warned that reports suggesting the agreement could be implemented before a parliamentary vote would represent a dangerous precedent.
“This is not only undemocratic – it is dangerous,” Mullooly said. “Whether you are for or against this deal, every MEP is entitled to a vote before it is ratified or rejected.”
Mullooly also challenged the European Commission over overwhelming confusion surrounding the recently announced €45 billion CAP ‘early access’ proposal.
“We were told of a new €45 billion contribution to the CAP budget, only to discover it is not new money – it is existing money,” he said. “Farmers deserve clarity, not sleight of hand.”
Mullooly concluded by urging the AGRI Committee to defend the Parliament’s role.
“If we allow this process to bypass scrutiny, we weaken our democracy,” he said. “That is something this committee should not accept.”