The British Government favours an initial transition period after Brexit, during which free movement of goods would continue with the EU. For the long term, the UK wants either a customs border with checks reduced to the minimum, or a “customs partnership” without a formal border.

However, under any of these three arrangements, London wants “the ability to forge trade deals around the world”.

Healy said that the UK’s insistence on pursuing an independent trade policy “amounts to a hard Brexit and is potentially very negative for Irish agriculture and the value of our agri-food exports”.

The customs border option, even with lighter checks, would be “a very retrograde development for trade on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain, after 45 years of EEC/EU integration,” he commented.

Any increase in low-cost food imports into the UK that would undermine the value of the UK market would have a devastating effect on the Irish agri-food sector

The “customs partnership” arrangement would not suit Ireland’s agri-food industry either, Healy argued, because the UK wants to sign its own trade agreements allowing potentially cheaper food imports at the same time.

“Any increase in low-cost food imports into the UK that would undermine the value of the UK market would have a devastating effect on the Irish agri-food sector. The potential displacement of Irish food exports from the UK market will in turn destabilise the EU market balance,” he said.

Instead, the IFA wants the UK and the EU to conclude a free-trade agreement whereby no tariffs or additional checks would apply and the two markets would continue to negotiate trade deals with other partners as a bloc.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney is expected to respond to the UK position on Wednesday.

Read more

Full coverage: Brexit