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Irish PM threatens to block EU-Mercosur deal over Amazon wildfires

Ireland is set to vote against a trade agreement between the EU and the South American bloc Mercosur if Brazil does not take steps to safeguard the Amazon rainforest, Reuters reported, citing Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

"There is no way that Ireland will vote for the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement if Brazil does not honor its environmental commitments," Varadkar reportedly said, adding that Ireland would supervise Brazil's environmental actions until the ratification of the trade agreement.

Varadkar spoke while parts of the Amazon rainforest are ablaze, with environmentalists identifying deforestation as the reason for the surge in fires and criticizing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for revoking protection of the world's largest rainforest that is considered crucial in the world's fight against climate change.

Ireland will require the support of other EU nations for the formation of a blocking minority that can shut off the deal, which was touted as "the largest trade agreement the EU has ever concluded" by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The EU is expected to open up to agricultural products from Mercosur as part of the agreement, which has raised concerns among Irish beef farmers of imported meat undercutting Irish products amid low prices and Britain's departure from the bloc.

France's president, Emmanuel Macron, proposed the matter to be discussed at the G-7 summit amid increased international worries over the rainforest's devastation, according to the report. Bolsonaro, who accused nongovernmental organizations for the damage, reportedly dismissed calls for discussion over matter, calling it a foreign interference in Brazil's matters.