June 21, 2007   

Ireland beef industry asks protection from EU on feared "sell out"

Irish and British beef producers have cautioned European Commission World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiator Commissioner Peter Mandelson not to sell out the Irish beef industry.

Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Padraig Walshe has claimed the commission could be trying to get a deal at any price on its industry and services at this week's WTO meeting in Potsdam Germany.

Walshe said calculations done by EU Commission show the 51 percent average tariff offered by Mandelson would devastate European agriculture by 20 billion euros and will reach 30 billion euros if further negotiations develop.

Walshe said the IFA has already established that Brazilian beef is not fit to enter Europe, but he said Mandelson is seemingly determined to European agriculture for vested interests of his friends in big business, and commodity traders, who will exploit consumers and Irish producers once they have control of the market.

The IFA leader said beef farmers' incomes were way below average industrial earnings and Mandelson's offer to the Americans and the Brazilians would wipe out incomes in the beef sector in Ireland.

A similar warning on the WTO negotiations also came from the president of the British National Farmers' Union Peter Kendall as he rejected any calls for agricultural deals at any cost.

He said that EU concessions would need to be balanced by concessions from other parties and by enough flexibility in the final deal. Kendall added negotiating parties must recognise current EU offer already implies average level cuts of agricultural tariffs that would exceed the reduction on industrial tariffs undertaken in any of the previous trade rounds.

He also called for flexibility in any final deals to ensure specific circumstances of the sectors will not be impacted such as beef and poultry.