The IBEC quarterly economic outlook published this week clearly shows the extent to which rural Ireland will bear the brunt of a hard Brexit. While just 7% of jobs within the greater Dublin area are Brexit-exposed, a regional analysis by IBEC shows the level of exposure in rural counties is closer to 30%.

Of course, these figures have to be assessed against a backdrop where the level of alternative employment in these rural communities is severely limited. As Thomas Hubert reports, the IBEC report also forecasts that livestock farmers would see a 10% drop in income in the wake of a hard Brexit.

The extent to which rural Ireland is exposed to Brexit somewhat undermines comments made recently by An Toaiseach Leo Varadkar that it was up to the UK to design the border and subsequently the trading relationship between it and Ireland. The reality is that many rural communities in Ireland are more exposed to Brexit than their English counterparts.

Our agri-food industry must ensure the voice of rural Ireland does not get drowned out around the Cabinet table as Brexit negotiations advance. There is clearly a lot more at stake for those in rural Ireland than those within the M50.