Local farmers have engaged in widespread protests against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement in recent days, but an MEP for Ireland South thinks that the protestors have been over exaggerating their worries.

Last weekend, farmers from all around the country congregated in Athlone to protest the implementation of the trade agreement.

The protests came after concerns were expressed about the quality of produce that would soon enter the country under the EU-Mercosur trade deal, with claims that there would be health and safety risks to both farmers and the general public.

Alongside this there were claims that the overall quality of beef in the country would drop significantly.

However, speaking with WLR, MEP for South Ireland, Fine Gael’s Sean Kelly believes that the claims and concerns are being overstated and that farmers need to face facts.

In an interview on Déise Today, MEP Kelly said that the European Union applies safety standards to all meat that enters the EU.

“There is a growing concern amongst farmers about the impact of Mercosur, but I think some of it is overstated.”

“To say that our health is at risk is really exaggerating, because the safety standards in place by the European Union apply to all products that enter the European Union,” he said

He then went on to say that there is a general lack of publicly available facts about the deal as a whole.

“I think that the fears, need to be listened to but also need to be met with facts, and facts are what will determine what happens at the end of the day.”

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