Irish Minister of Agriculture Michael Creed said the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur’s South American trade block is a “bad deal” for the Irish beef sector.

According to the minister, “This is a bad deal, it makes no sense to say otherwise. This is a bad deal for the meat sector. ”

This assessment of the agreement by the Minister was made following a statement by the chairman of the National Livestock Association of the Irish Farmers Association Angus Woods that the deal would “destroy” the beef market in Ireland.

The European Union and the Mercosur South American trade block, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, concluded an extremely important trade deal on Friday, June 28, ending 20 years of negotiations on one of the world's largest regional commercial agreements.

However, in Ireland, the deal was met with anger. The Irish Farmers Association (IFA), as well as the Irish Cattle and Sheep Breeding Association (ICSA) were the most active critics of the agreement.

Organizations said it would “undermine” beef markets, as cheaper South American beef with lower tariffs would flood the European Union.