Offaly farmers urged to attend 'No to Mercosur' national protest in Athlone on Saturday

A NATIONAL community protest against the Mercosur trade deal is taking place in Athlone, County Westmeath on Saturday, January 10, at 11am.

MEP Ciaran Mullooly, together with Michael Fitzmaurice TD, and with the backing of major farming organisations, have called for a National Rally to send a clear and unified message to the Coalition Government that: Irish farmers and farm families say no to Mercosur.

The protest will include a tractor and vehicle cavalcade around the town, crossing the river Shannon and ending in a rally in the indoor sports arena at the Technological University of The Shannon (formerly AIT -Athlone Regional Technical College ) on the old Dublin road.

Stewards will be on attendance on all approach roads to the town. All vehicles will be asked to park up on holding areas on the approach routes until the protest begins.

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The Independent Ireland MEP said; "With the start of 2026, political pressure is mounting on the Coalition Government over its position on the EU–Mercosur trade agreement, which is now entering its final ratification stage. The Programme for Government contains a clear commitment to oppose the Mercosur deal. That position is coming under renewed scrutiny now as France leads a growing coalition of EU member states campaigning to block the agreement."

In the European Parliament, opposition is also hardening according to Ciaran Mullooly. "Many Irish MEPs have now publicly stated they will vote against Mercosur, following the recent and powerful farmers’ protests in Brussels", he stated.

"From the outset", Ciaran Mullooly MEP commented, "I have voiced my opposition to the agreement, tabling multiple resolutions in the European Parliament, aimed at slowing and scrutinising the process. As I have repeatedly warned, the Mercosur trade deal is a bad deal for Irish farmers and poses an existential threat to the Irish beef sector, comparable to the devastation Brexit inflicted on the fishing industry."

Plans for the rally are well advanced according to Mullooly, and large crowds are expected, which the Midlands-North-West MEP says, reflects the depth of anger and concern across rural Ireland. Mullooly concluded, "the message from the farming community is unequivocal - this deal must be stopped."

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