France and Italy want stronger safeguards for farmers and are urging a delay to the EU vote on Mercosur, threatening a deal decades in the making.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed on the need to delay a final European Union vote on the Mercosur trade deal, two sources familiar with the discussion told Reuters on Monday.

France's opposition and widespread farmer protests are jeopardizing the EU's long-delayed free-trade deal with Mercosur. Angry farmers fear competiti

Fine Gael MEP for Midlands North West Maria Walsh has called on the Irish Government to outright reject the EU-Mercosur trade agreement ahead of a potential final vote on the deal later this week.