Noel Thomas at Athlone ‘No to Mercosur’ Rally: Government Has a Duty to Protect Farm Families and Irish Food Standards

Speaking at the No to Mercosur rally in Athlone today, organised by Independent Ireland, Noel Thomas said the Government has a clear duty to protect Irish farm families who have spent generations building the standards that make Irish food among the most trusted in the world.

Addressing thousands of farmers and supporters, Noel Thomas said Irish farmers did exactly what the State asked of them — investing in higher standards, accepting tighter regulation, and adapting year after year to increasingly demanding rules on animal welfare, sustainability, traceability and food safety.

“They didn’t cut corners. They didn’t take shortcuts. They built something exceptional,” he said.

He said Irish beef is recognised globally not because it is cheap, but because it is trusted — a trust built farm by farm, family by family, over decades of work.

“That trust creates a clear responsibility for Government,” Noel Thomas said. “The first duty of Government is not to trade away the livelihoods of farm families who played by the rules. It is to protect them.”

He said Irish farmers did not arrive at a world-class product by accident, but because they were required to meet some of the highest standards anywhere — standards that cost money, take time, and shape how families live and work on the land.

“To now expose those farmers to unfair competition from regions operating to very different rules is not free trade,” he said. “It is a breach of trust.”

Noel Thomas said the Mercosur issue goes beyond farming and directly affects consumers.

“People in Ireland go about their daily lives with a reasonable expectation that the food they buy meets the highest standards — in traceability, animal welfare and quality,” he said. “Consumers have a right to expect the best, and Government has no right to trade that away behind closed doors.”

He warned that any weakening of standards would cause lasting damage.

“If confidence is undermined, it will not be easily rebuilt. And once farm families are forced out, there is no quick way back.”

Noel Thomas said rural Ireland understands instinctively that livelihoods depend on standards, communities depend on farming, and Ireland’s international reputation depends on protecting what makes Irish food exceptional.

“Trade matters. Markets matter. But they must never come at the expense of the people who did everything right,” he said.

“Backing Irish farmers means defending the standards they spent generations building. Anything less is a failure of duty — to farmers, to consumers, and to the country as a whole.”