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The people of the United Kingdom (UK) have voted to leave the European Union (EU).
At 6am, some 14.8m people voted to leave the EU while 13.8m voted to stay with 97% of all votes counted. It was at this point that an official declaration could be made at the count centre in Manchester.
Figures of 52% leave and 48% remain are likely to be the final tally.
Within those figures there are now obvious divides within the UK itself. Each of Scotland’s councils voted to remain in the EU while Wales voted to leave.
The Scottish people, in an independence referendum, narrowly voted two years ago to stay in the UK. This could open the door for Scotland to return to the polls for another independence vote from the UK.
Northern Ireland voted to remain by a margin of 55.8% to 44.2%. Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin has also said that there now should be a referendum to unify the island of Ireland.
Speaking in the early hours of Friday morning, Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), declared victory. Farage and UKIP, along with former Lord Mayor of London Borris Johnson, had been the main leave campaigners.
“Let 23 June go down as our independence day,” he told assembled media and UKIP supporters in Manchester.
Fallout
While polls published after voting closed suggested that the remain side would win but this turned on its head shortly afterwards. British prime minister David Cameron must now go to Brussels to activate article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon which will lead to the UK leaving the EU.
The fallout has been almost immediate with sterling, the UK’s currency, collapsing to a 31-year low.
For Irish food, the fallout could be much more significant. Some 40% of our €10.5bn worth of food exports end up in the UK. The UK will now have to negotiate trade agreements with partners such as Ireland.
Stay tuned to farmersjournal.ie throughout Friday on what a Brexit will mean for Irish farmers.
Implications for Irish agriculture if British cast a Brexit ballot
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