A Sinn Fein TD has described a draft trade deal between the EU and South America as a devastating blow to Irish farmers.
Martin Kenny said the Mercosur Agreement with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay will damage the Irish beef industry.
The draft deal would allow South American countries to export 99,000 tonnes of beef to the EU if it goes ahead.
Deputy Kenny said they do not have the same standards as in Ireland and Europe.
"We have warned against it. We have warned that the way in which beef is produced in Latin America, particularly Brazil, flies in the face in all of the environmental standards that we have in Europe and other places," he said.
"Certainly in the context of the climate change crisis that we've declared in Ireland, it flies in the face of all of that for to be suggesting that we would import beef into Europe that is multiples more damaging to the environment than beef that is produced in Ireland or indeed other countries in Europe."
