The EU must be very firm on the withdrawal agreement negotiated by EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and everything possible must be done to ensure that the UK accepts the agreement on the table from the EU to avoid a no-deal Brexit scenario, the French farmers’ union (FNSEA) president Christiane Lambert said on Monday.
At a media briefing with the IFA and FNSEA, Lambert said in relation to Brexit that politicians are debating and fighting with each other, but farmers are extremely worried.
“The UK must live up to its responsibilities, and it is up to us to remind them of that in the name of the farmers we represent,” she said.
Joe Healy @IFAmedia and Christiane Lambert @FNSEA brief the media following a bilateral meeting in Dublin ahead of #Brexit pic.twitter.com/eqtKsVDLSt
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“French farmers are very concerned by Brexit. The politicians will debate and argue, but the economic stakes are very high.
“We are totally in agreement that a no-deal situation would be very damaging to farmers both in Ireland and in France, but also for consumers.
“This is why we agree that the EU must be very firm on the withdrawal agreement negotiated by Michel Barnier. We believe it’s important to find a solution to this situation.
“Maintaining the trade in goods, but also homogeneous standards, is absolutely crucial for our sectors,” she said.
’We want a deal’
IFA president Joe Healy said that farmers from Ireland and France are on the one team and that’s a team that’s very much behind Michel Barnier and his team and what they have done throughout the negotiations.
“At this stage, the ball is very firmly in [the] UK’s court to see where they want to take it next.
"But from a farmer’s point of view, it’s vital that a deal is achieved, to remove the uncertainty that’s there.
“Because that uncertainly has affected prices and farmer incomes. We want a deal,” he said.
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