Talamh Beo condemn the signing of the MERCOSUR agreement by Ursula Von Der Leyen last Friday in spite of the widespread opposition among citizens in both in the EU and in MERCOSUR countries.

Trade agreements like MERCOSUR only exacerbate inequality, serve transnational capital over citizens, and push people apart. The signing of NAFTA in 1994 laid the foundations for the hollowing out of the American industrial base and laid the foundations for the new form of hybrid populist/financial/autocratic ideology which is emerging there.

Talamh Beo along with La Via Campesina reject the World Trade Organisation framework for trade, which only continues to damage our food and agricultural identities and economies. 

The fundamental principles of International trade need to be rebuilt on foundations of solidarity, compassion and social justice. Trade should care for our citizens and farms and not expose them to economic risk.

There is no collective benefit to our society by extracting and exploiting another, and the same way we should reject dumping of goods such as Beef in our markets, we should denounce the dumping of other goods (such as milk powder) in third countries.

In an increasingly multipolar world where transnational capital acts with impunity, states have an obligation to transcend the push for further financialisation of the world economy and move towards a people-centered trade policy based on Food Sovereignty which ensures all citizens on our planet have access to the food, goods and services they need on a fair basis, without negatively impacting on one another.

It is this model of people-centred growth which can also meet the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, as we decentralise production and consumption of food and reintegrate our production systems into balance with natural ecosystems.

Talamh Beo will continue to work for Irish and International Food and Agricultural policies based on Food Sovereignty and Agroecology.

Contact: info@talamhbeo.ie