Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly has said he will vote for the nature restoration law at Wednesday’s vote in the European Parliament.

“I cannot vote against this law, for a number of reasons,” he said in a video posted on Twitter on Tuesday night.

“Primarily because the [European Council of Ministers] have done a good job in amending some of the worst parts of the proposals,” he said.

He added that 99% of Dáil Eireann had voted in favour of the council position, including all Fine Gael members.

Kelly said that some very important and good amendments had been tabled in the European Parliament, which would not be voted on if the proposal was rejected at the outset.

In summary, Kelly said his position was that the “right thing to do” was to look at the amendments one by one and that a “good landing spot” could be found.

In doing so, Kelly goes against the position of the EPP, the European group of which Fine Gael is a member.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) joined other national farming unions in a COPA-COGECA protest in Strasbourg on Wednesday against the proposed law.

The COPA group said its message to MEPs was “clear and simple”, that their position was “yes to nature restoration”, but no to this law on nature restoration.