ICSA president Sean McNamara has said today's vote by the European Parliament to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice is a major victory for farmers, democracy and common sense. Speaking from Strasbourg where he is protesting the deal alongside farmers from across Europe, Mr McNamara said the result shows that Mercosur is far from a done deal and that sustained farmer pressure is having a real impact. "The Parliament voted 334 to 324 in favour of sending this deal to the European Court of Justice. That is a clear signal that serious concerns remain and that this agreement cannot simply be waved through," he said.

Continuing Mr McNamara said, "This is not a vote on the Mercosur trade deal itself, but it is a decisive move that could delay ratification by up to two years and could even stop this deal entirely. Anyone claiming Mercosur was inevitable has been proven wrong. Farmers were told time and again that this was a done deal and that resistance was pointless. We never accepted that and today shows that standing firm and keeping the pressure on does work."

He also said that any move to split the agreement and provisionally apply the trade elements of the deal while the legal process is ongoing would be completely unacceptable. "To try to push this through while the Court is examining it would be a slap in the face to democracy and to every farmer who has taken the time to stand up and be heard," he said.

 Concluding, Mr McNamara said today's vote proves that Mercosur can be stopped and that farmers must stay united and keep fighting. "This fight is far from over, but today is proof that this deal can be challenged and beaten. We will not be backing down."