Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has pressed Ireland’s anxieties about ongoing South American trade talks with agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos.

On the margins of his first meeting with fellow ministers in Brussels, Mr Coveney told reporters he was concerned about the talks with the Mercusor trade bloc as they had potential to seriously weaken Irish beef markets.

The bloc comprises Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Irish farmers opposed the reopening of the talks last May because any deal would increase beef imports into the EU in return for market access in South America for other European products.

“In many ways we were in the uniquely vulnerable position in comparison to other countries. There’s no other country that comes any way close to Ireland in terms of the levels of beef exports,” the Minister said. Mr Ciolos was on Ireland’s side, he added, but the commissioner needed more allies.