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Ireland will vote against Mercosur trade deal, Taoiseach and Tánaiste confirm

Ireland opposes the EU-Mercosur trade deal due to inadequate protections for farmers and food standards despite additional EU safeguards, with 91% of goods affected in the agreement.

  • On Thursday, the Irish Government confirmed it would not vote for the EU-Mercosur trade agreement in its current form, Tanaiste Simon Harris announced outside Government Buildings in Dublin.
  • Concerns about environmental and food standards and parity for Irish farmers under Mercosur persist, and Tanaiste Simon Harris said assurances were secured but did not fully address Ireland's worries.
  • The Irish Farmers' Association opposed the deal, and the government's rejection on Thursday was welcomed by the IFA, the Labour Party, and Independent Ireland amid internal disagreement and strong views from farmers and consumers.
  • The EU is to vote on Friday on the trade deal with Mercosur countries, and next week Sinn Féin will bring a motion to the Dáil to challenge the government.
  • Despite valuing free trade, Ireland says it 'grappled intensively' with the issue before opposing the deal, and Tanaiste Simon Harris cautioned that 'Tomorrow is not the end of the matter,' so Irish MEPs will continue engagement.
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‘Tomorrow is not the end’, says Harris over vote on EU-Mercosur trade deal

Tanaiste Simon Harris said Ireland had to ‘stand by our word’ on the Mercosur deal.

·London, United Kingdom
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Lean Left

The Irish Deputy Prime Minister announced on Thursday that the Irish government will not vote for the EU-Mercosur (South American Common Market) free trade agreement, which will be voted on by EU member states in Brussels on Friday. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin also confirmed during an official visit to Shanghai that Ireland would vote against the agreement. He said that the concessions made to address the concerns of Irish farmers were n…

·Hungary
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Bias Distribution

  • 60% of the sources lean Left
60% Left

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Irish Examiner broke the news in Ireland on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
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