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Irish and UK farmers have “common cause” on high food standards and fair competition, according to IFA president Tim Cullinan.
Speaking from the Naional Farmers Union (NFU) conference in Birmingham, Cullinan said: “Irish and UK farmers often compete for shelf space in the UK, but we have always done so on a level playing field with common standards and a common rule book.
“Now, there is a real risk that UK politicians want to reduce food standards for imports so they can use access to their market as a bargaining chip in trade deals with non-EU countries.”
Cullinan said while the UK’s right to make its own decisions has to be respected, the EU had to be clear that access to its market must be on the basis of common standards and a common external tariff.
Standards
Cullinan said consumers in the UK and EU have always insisted on the highest food standards and would expect that to continue. Farmers in Ireland and the UK could not be undercut by “substandard food imports which fail to meet consumer expectations”, he said.
“Our colleagues in the UK are working hard lobbying their government to maintain high standards so that their own farmers have a level playing field in their own market. So, we have a common cause on this issue – fair competition.”
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