With just over six months before the March Brexit deadline, border farmer Henry McElroy is becoming increasingly concerned that farmers between the north and south of Ireland aren’t being listened to by the UK or Irish governments.
McElroy has sheep and sucklers on 68ac straddling the border between north Louth and south Armagh.
“There were 15,000 British soldiers in Northern Ireland and 20 lookout posts just along the border in south Armagh and they didn’t manage to police it,” McElroy told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“I’ll go to jail before I let them put any block on the road and risk going back to that,” he said.
“I don’t know how An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar or British prime minister Theresa May can think bringing back any kind of border checks would work.”
Earlier this year, a report from the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly stated that over 30,000 people crossed the border every day, with 25% of the milk produced and 40% of lambs raised in Northern Ireland processed in the Republic.
“When we lose our EU status, will we be able to get milk lorries down the road? And what happens to the lambs from Antrim and Armagh next April going to processing plants down south?
“Farming is one of the biggest employers in Northern Ireland. We see all these big businesses leaving the UK, but small farmers on the border can’t up and leave.”
Another concern for McElroy is the possibility of a UK trade deal with countries such as South America.
“It needs to be written into any Brexit agreement that any meat that isn’t traceable can’t get into the port in Larne.
“My own vet is concerned about the situation, because if there’s a disease outbreak like foot-and-mouth disease or BSE in England, it’s not a matter of closing border check points but closing all the ports,” McElroy said.
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UK only 60% self-sufficient in food
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With just over six months before the March Brexit deadline, border farmer Henry McElroy is becoming increasingly concerned that farmers between the north and south of Ireland aren’t being listened to by the UK or Irish governments.
McElroy has sheep and sucklers on 68ac straddling the border between north Louth and south Armagh.
“There were 15,000 British soldiers in Northern Ireland and 20 lookout posts just along the border in south Armagh and they didn’t manage to police it,” McElroy told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“I’ll go to jail before I let them put any block on the road and risk going back to that,” he said.
“I don’t know how An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar or British prime minister Theresa May can think bringing back any kind of border checks would work.”
Earlier this year, a report from the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly stated that over 30,000 people crossed the border every day, with 25% of the milk produced and 40% of lambs raised in Northern Ireland processed in the Republic.
“When we lose our EU status, will we be able to get milk lorries down the road? And what happens to the lambs from Antrim and Armagh next April going to processing plants down south?
“Farming is one of the biggest employers in Northern Ireland. We see all these big businesses leaving the UK, but small farmers on the border can’t up and leave.”
Another concern for McElroy is the possibility of a UK trade deal with countries such as South America.
“It needs to be written into any Brexit agreement that any meat that isn’t traceable can’t get into the port in Larne.
“My own vet is concerned about the situation, because if there’s a disease outbreak like foot-and-mouth disease or BSE in England, it’s not a matter of closing border check points but closing all the ports,” McElroy said.
Read more
UK only 60% self-sufficient in food
Sterling falls to £0.90 against the euro
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