The food and farming industry has welcomed progress made between the UK Government and European Union on Brexit negotiations.
Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared that "sufficient progress" had been made on the "divorce issues" to begin the negotiations on their future trading relationship.
The government has confirmed that there will be no "hard border" with Ireland; and EU citizens in the UK, and UK citizens in the EU, will see their rights protected.
The decision will now be approved by the other 27 EU leaders at a summit on Thursday (14 December).
Now, the start of trade discussions will be seen as crucial in ensuring that the UK food and farming industry can thrive in a post-Brexit era.
'Vitally important'
Dairy industry body Dairy UK said the joint agreement is ‘vitally important steps in the right direction’.
Commenting on this morning’s announcement, Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK said: “We have continued to stress how important ensuring there remains no border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is to the dairy industry supply chain, which requires the transportation of raw milk and other products across the border without tariff or administrative barriers.
“We also welcome the commitment to protect the East-West border, as it is crucial there remains regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and Great Britain so trade can continue freely within the UK.
“This is important for a number of reasons, including avoiding an undue burden of regulation for businesses within the UK, and because dairy and meat from NI make an important contribution to food on shelf in GB.
Access to labour
Dr Bryans explained that the dairy industry in the UK also relies on a continuous access to labour.
“The progress on the rights of EU citizens is very welcome but there is a great deal more work to be done in this area to ensure that our industry can move into the post-Brexit era with confidence,” she added.
“The UK dairy industry is strategically important for the nation. What we need now is greater detail and clarity on our future relationship with the EU in the transition period and beyond, so that the dairy industry has both certainty and stability in which to do business.”
