16 May 2016
ICSA president Patrick Kent has said that the draft findings of the impact study on TTIP carried out for the EU by the Ecorys Consultancy demonstrates that beef farmers have every right to be concerned. “The impact modelled by the report suggests that ruminant meats and other meats are the big losers while motor vehicles and textiles are the winners. ICSA has been to the fore in campaigning against a sell-out of beef at TTIP and Mercosur trade talks and this confirms that TTIP poses a serious threat to EU beef farming.”
“The key figure is that the analysis suggests a 0.5% contraction in ruminant meats and a 1.0% contraction in other meats in terms of gross output. However, behind these figures is the reality that Irish beef farming is likely to be disproportionately impacted due to its reliance on exports to other EU members.”
“However, the key message is that the EU must consider a cumulative impact of several trade deals to understand just how damaging concessions on beef could be. It is not enough to look at TTIP (USA) or Mercosur (South America) or CETA (Canada) in isolation; all of these together must be analysed before any more concessions are conceded.”
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