EU to sign Mercosur deal
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is on her way to Paraguay to sign the EU’s controversial trade deal with Mercosur this weekend. The EU-Mercosur deal has been more…
China reopens to Irish beef
The Taoiseach has confirmed that China has agreed to reopen its market to Irish beef. It comes following Micheál Martin’s visit to China last week during which he pushed officials…
Ireland to vote against Mercosur trade deal
The Irish government has announced that it will not support the EU’s trade deal with the group of south American Mercosur countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The Mercosur trade…
EU dangles €45 billion to get farmers on board with CAP and Mercosur deals
The European Commission has suggested that farmers could get early access to €45 billion in new funding in an attempt to see off criticism of the next Common Agricultural Policy…
Vietnam reopens to Irish beef
Ireland will be able to export beef to Vietnam again after the two sides finally reached an agreement. The Irish government has spent years convincing Vietnam that Irish beef is…
Irish farmers join Europe’s largest protest
Farmers from across Europe, including Ireland, have convened a mass protest in Brussels to raise concerns about agricultural conditions and they’re fears over an EU trade deal with south America.…
Environmentalists criticise EU nitrates derogation
Environmentalists have criticised a decision to give Ireland another derogation from strict rules in the EU’s nitrates directive. The European Environment Bureau (EEB) which works in Brussels on behalf of…
Ireland gets nitrate derogation but stricter limits apply
The EU’s Nitrates Committee has approved Ireland’s request for a further three-year derogation to EU water pollution law. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD said Ireland…
EU to propose three-year extension to Ireland’s nitrates derogation
The European Commission has prepared the legal text to renew Ireland’s nitrates derogation. It is understood that the EU will propose an extension for another three years. The document has…
EU agency warns of bird flu ‘surge’
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued an advisory for enhanced surveillance and stricter biosecurity measures to try to counter a “surge” in bird flu cases across Europe. Between…