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Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has insisted that import tariffs on Irish beef to the UK could cost in the region of €750m and seriously damage the food industry.
MII senior director Cormac Healy was speaking in response to comments made by the UK minister in charge of farming, Michael Gove, in Birmingham on 19 February.
The potential tariff bill on exports of Irish beef to the UK could be €750m
Gove said: “The cabinet has been discussing what the tariff regime will be in the event of a no-deal situation. I can’t pre-empt the announcement that should be made later this week.”
“One thing that I can reassure you is that it will not be the case that we will have zero-rate tariffs on food products.”
The comments leaves the option of applying tariffs on agriculture goods open.
No-deal
“A no-deal Brexit, in which Irish meat exports are not only faced with logistical chaos and additional trading costs but also with the imposition of import tariffs in the UK, would decimate trade and seriously damage production in Ireland, resulting in jobs losses and a major hit to rural economies,” MII senior director Cormac Healy said.
“The potential tariff bill on exports of Irish beef to the UK could be €750m.”
He added that if tariffs were imposed, the Government would need to push for the introduction of a tariff support mechanism that would offset the cost of tariffs and enable farmers and processors to trade as normal with the UK.
The IFA also heavily criticised Michael Gove’s comments and called on the Minister of Agriculture Michael Creed and the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan to meet immediately to plan for comprehensive market supports.
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