Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has slammed the Mercosur agreement’s double attack on the EU’s efforts to prevent deforestation.

Speaking in Strasbourg, the Dublin MEP said:

“Many MEPs, including those from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour, have just voted to delay the deforestation regulation for another year.

“This will leave forests and rainforests at the mercy of unchecked deforestation for another year.

“It’s clear that the Deforestation law was shafted in order to pass the Mercosur agreement, being one of the key issues for the negotiations that Ursula Von Der Leyen concluded earlier this month.

“On top of that, the Mercosur deal itself will allow countries to bypass the requirements for companies to tackle their deforestation impact.

“It also says that the EU should consider Mercosur countries to actually be lower risk for deforestation – without providing any guarantees that they are – and that the EU could even have to pay these countries for any negative trade impacts of the Deforestation Law.

“This entire shambles makes it even clearer that Mercosur is a rotten trade deal that is bad for our environment, our climate and our farmers.

“The new Irish government must stand up and join the other EU countries opposed to the Mercosur trade deal.”

For further analysis of the interaction of the Mercosur Agreement with the Deforestation Regulation, please see Greenpeace and the Veblen Institute.