THE EU's top farm official has accused the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) of acting in "bad faith" and "misleading" the public in its vocal campaign against a global trade deal.

EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel also warned yesterday that the IFA's use of "spin" was putting future co-operation between the IFA and her office in jeopardy.

"They are still claiming that Brazil will have the right to export 1.8 million tonnes of beef into Europe. That is simply bad faith and they know it and it's not correct and these figures are totally misleading," said Ms Boel.

"I must say I am very unhappy to see that the good co-operation we have had until now is jeopardised by figures like this."

Ms Boel, who has been a good friend to Irish farmers and regularly receives IFA delegations, said a new proposal in trade talks gave all beef-producing states the right to export 290,000 tonnes of beef into the EU, not the 1.8 million tonnes claimed by the IFA.

"It is spin that has nothing to do with reality and the figures are clearly misleading," said Ms Boel, who added that she was very disappointed with public comments made by IFA president Pádraig Walshe about the progress of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.

"The reason why I am getting a bit confused is the fact that, when Pádraig Walshe was sitting in my office last week, he did not mention any figure like that. He was totally in line with the other members of the [umbrella group of farmers' unions] Copa," she said. "Then I see in the newspaper that, even after all these explanations and discussions with the Irish farmers' unions, they are still claiming that Brazil will have the right to export 1.8 million tonnes of beef to Europe.

"I almost had a heart attack when I read the article. I would like to try to correct the comments made by Pádraig Walshe."

Mr Walshe is quoted in an IFA press release accusing EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson of selling out Irish agriculture "by now offering Brazil 1.8 million tonnes of beef imports, which will wipe out the Irish livestock industry".

The IFA said yesterday it was referring to the total amount of imports that would flood into the EU given the scale of the tariff cuts proposed, rather than the tariff rate quota, which guarantees a level of imports into the EU at very low or no tariff.

"The commission has done its own analysis based on a WTO deal that shows the market penetration from South America would be 1.2 million tonnes, based on a price of €2.30," said Mr Walshe, who was in Geneva yesterday. "Our analysis says the price will fall to €2 and imports will ramp up to 1.8 million tonnes . . . As European production will fall, South American exports will expand rapidly. The commission figures take no account of this."