Farmers in Ireland risk being “decimated” by Brexit with 40% of the nation's agriculture and drinks exports going to the UK, according to an influential parliamentary committee.
The chairman of the House of Lords committee Tim Boswell said Northern Ireland must not become the 'collateral damage' of the UK’s departure from the EU, as the first of six reports on the impact of Brexit on Britain are published.
The committee says the UK and Ireland should be allowed to negotiate a separate deal as quickly as possible to prevent damaging economic fallout that could even put at risk peace in Northern Ireland.
Lord Boswell has said that the impact of Brexit on the Republic of Ireland will be more profound than for any of the other member states and that he is urging the other 27 countries in the European Union to give the country special dispensation to enter talks on a draft bilateral agreement with the UK.
Lord Boswell said: “The burgeoning peace process following the Good Friday Agreement has improved people’s lives right across the island of Ireland.
“That progress has in part been based on the fact that both the UK and the Republic of Ireland are EU Member States, with free movement and trade across an open border. Brexit means that there is now a question mark over these achievements.
“Both the UK and Irish governments desperately want to avoid a return to hard borders. But the Republic of Ireland will remain in the EU, and any agreement to allow an open border to remain will have to be agreed by all the other EU Member States. That’s not a given.
“We need early agreement on all sides that the UK and Ireland should be allowed to reach a draft bilateral agreement, one that protects the unique nature of UK-Irish relations, of Northern Ireland, and of North-South relations on the island of Ireland.”
Deal urged to avoid farming disaster
Cross border trade for farm product must be protected during Brexit negotiations, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) have urged.
The UK is Ireland’s number-one export destination, with as much as 50% of Irish beef, 60% of cheese and 90% of mushrooms ending up on British tables. Northern Ireland’s economy is also deeply intertwined with the Irish economy, with 38% of its exports, including 350,000 lambs a year, going south of the border.
UFU deputy President Victor Chestnutt warned that without this protection for trade Brexit would have a negative impact on livestock farms: "There are many established links between the livestock sector in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for both breeding and finished stock.
"This historic trade, in place for generations, is crucial if we are to sustain a vibrant and economically viable livestock sector north and south of the border," he said.
"From a Northern Ireland perspective, this year we have exported half our lambs and a significant number of cattle to processors south of the border. This trade, facilitated by the live markets, has encouraged competition and ensured farmers get the best possible price for their stock."
He added that while the sterling/euro exchange rate has a major bearing on the success of this trade, government must recognise that additional complications as a result of Brexit would undermine farm incomes and this must be avoided.
