The four main farm organisations as well as Jim Power all agreed at the Oireachtas meeting that the Irish ag sector cannot be sacrificed as part of the Brexit talks.

  • Jim Power: "Organisations such as Bord Bia should be given extra resources to build non-UK markets and this should start now." As the UK loses CAP support, its own agricultural production is likely to fall. There will be opportunity to replace the €3.8bn worth of British food we import every year, especially as they will be hit by tariffs in return. "A lot of it is cheese, milk, biscuits: stuff that we either produce of have the capacity of producing," Power said. More generally, he said competitiveness achieved through investment in infrastructure, IT and education were key to surviving the Brexit storm.
  • IFA: beyond short-term support already available from EU aid packages and Budget 2017, Joe Healy described the decline in sterling since the UK referendum as "a market disturbance which has occurred swiftly and unexpectedly". As a result, "the EU Commission must look seriously at providing exceptional support for sectors for whom an external political event has had an immediate and negative economic impact". As the UK exiting the EU will leave a €1.3bn in the CAP budget, he also insisted that there must be no changes to farm payments before the current CAP reform concludes in 2020, even if this requires additional contributions from the remaining member states.
  • Macra na Feirme: Sean Finan said it was important to relay the message elsewhere in the world that "Ireland is not part of Brexit and is open for business". If Brexit resulted in additional regulatory and labelling requirements for farmers, Finan said additional resources should be made available to assist them.
  • ICMSA: John Comer said that Ireland's position in Brexit negotiations should not be to seek special treatment. "We have to demonstrate that a fair deal that minimises the impact on trade is good for all member states, not just Ireland."
  • ICSA: Patrick Kent said it was time to "circle the wagons to protect EU-27 farmers" in the remaining member states. This includes stopping trade deals with Mercosur, Canada and the US, he added. He also argued that Ireland should focus on developing alternative export markets based on GM-free and pesticide-free guarantees.

    • Read more

    Full coverage: Brexit

    ADVERTISEMENT