Reports in today’s Irish Times suggest that the EU is contemplating a move to give UK access to the single market for agricultural produce but not goods after Brexit. This would be a breaking of the EU red line on the four freedoms – capital, goods, services and people – but would solve the problem for Irish exports to the UK after Brexit as well as enabling trade continue as it is at present on the island of Ireland.

Not applying to industrial goods

Such a proposal would be a partial acceptance of the UK White Paper which proposed continued participation in the single market for industrial goods and agricultural produce. If the latest suggestion is correct, it would mean that industrial goods wouldn’t be covered, which would mean problems for cross-border and east-west trade, and it is also inconceivable how in practice this wouldn’t mean a hard border, even if not for agriculture or agricultural produce.

UK lobbying EU capitals

Of course this is holiday season in Brussels, though UK ministers including the Prime Minister are working their way around the EU trying to persuade member states to get the lead negotiator to soften his stance. He in turn published an opinion piece in a number of EU papers on Thursday that was much more conciliatory in tone towards the UK but seemed to reaffirm the EU red lines on no breaking up of the four freedoms on the single market. He was also dismissive of the idea that the UK could become a tax collector on behalf of the EU after its departure.

Exception for agriculture

There was no suggestion in that article of making an exception for agricultural produce, though he did continually reference free movement of goods without being specific if this was an all-embracing term covering industrial and agricultural goods.

The bottom line is that if the EU was to break its red line and allow the UK continue in the single market for agricultural produce, it would meet the needs of farmers on the island of Ireland. It would allow trade continue north-south as it currently does and, more importantly, enable east-west trade to continue uninterrupted.

It would be a big move from the EU and therefore we need to see it expressed with clarity by the chief negotiator before farmers can relax.