The recently released report from DAERA on the size and performance of the food and drinks processing sector in NI clearly sets out the key market outlets for the local agri-food industry.

Half of all sales from processing sites in NI are to our main market in Britain. In our largest sector – beef and sheep processing – this figure rises to nearly 70%. It is therefore no surprise that the industry has come out strongly against any form of border down the Irish Sea after Brexit.

The next most important market outlet is here in NI, accounting for nearly 25% of total sales, followed by sales to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) which come to just under 15%. However, for a number of sectors, ROI sales are actually quite small. The sector doing most trade with the south is the drinks industry, and removing it from the analysis, the overall figure falls to 12%.

But it should be remembered that the report does not take into account the movement of live animals or unprocessed goods across the Irish border, and for milk, lambs and pigs, this trade is important.

In terms of other trade, 7.8% of sales are to other EU countries, and 2.8% are to the rest of the world. These figures might seem small by comparison, and perhaps easy to dismiss, but often that business is important for goods, such as offal, not readily consumed in the home market.

There are also valuable outlets for milk powder outside of Europe, and it is the dairy industry that accounts for nearly half of rest of the world sales.

Taking everything together, it highlights the real Brexit conundrum facing prime minister Theresa May.

After over 40 years of EU membership, trade is so intertwined that any sort of clean break has the potential to be very damaging to the economy. Her idea of a future UK-EU customs arrangement for goods is an acknowledgement of that.