Officials from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Expenditure are in discussions regarding the potential for further support measures for the agri-food sector to address the negative impacts from Brexit.

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConlogue has said that he is “exploring” whether Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funding can support measures “which would future-proof and build resilience in the agri-food sector” as the UK signs new free-trade agreements.

“This approach is not explicitly provided for in the BAR regulation, so it requires further analysis which my Department is currently undertaking in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform,” he told the Dáil on Thursday.

The Brexit Adjustment Reserve has strict criteria that must be met to qualify for funding, he added.

“In particular, any proposed measures must address the direct negative impacts arising from Brexit,” he said in response to questions from Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy.

Under the scheme to-date, worth €1bn in total to Ireland, measures have been funded to support the fisheries and horticulture sectors.

Exports

The minister said that the value of Ireland's main agri-food exports to the UK has been resilient, with increases in many categories in 2021.

"Nonetheless, we will continue to monitor the impact of increased competition in the UK market for Irish food exports as a result of new UK free-trade agreements with third countries.

"Non-tariff barriers may also increase costs for Irish businesses exporting products to the UK. Over the coming years, these factors may increase the competitiveness challenge for Irish products on the UK market," he said.

Benefit of funding

Carthy said that during the Brexit negotiations, stories of Irish farming, fishing and rural communities were at the forefront, not only of the Irish political approach, but also the EU's deliberations.

“Those stories ensured that Ireland was allocated €1bn from the BAR. I do not believe they have received the benefit of that,” he said.