Leaders of the European Union countries ”unanimously” agreed the guidelines for the negotiations, according to the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk.

Despite UK prime minister Theresa May looking to hold trade talks with the EU during the process, the document rejects any notion of this happening. However, the document said that the EU wishes to have the UK as a “close partner” in the future.

The document contains 10 points which include the necessity to have the talks completed by 29 March 2019 and the “integrity of the single market” must be preserved, which means that “the UK will not be able to participate on a sector-by-sector basis”.

No ag mention

Despite Joe Healy and the IFA being in Brussels on Saturday to press the importance of agriculture for the talks, there was precisely no mention of the sector in the guidelines for the talks.

This means that Irish farmers are unlikely to receive any market certainty from our largest trading partner over the course of the two-year period.

The issue of a potential united Ireland was included in the paper.

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‘I don’t envisage tariffs on Irish beef’

No ag mention in first Brexit talks

Irish farmers will have little in the way of market certainty through the two-year Brexit negotiations, following the first round of talks in Brussels on Saturday.