The Government must ward off any attempt to deny Ireland’s agriculture sector of the €1bn share of the €5bn EU Brexit Adjustment Fund, IFA president Tim Cullinan has said.

In response to reports that other member states were laying claim to a greater share of the fund and potentially cutting Ireland’s share, Cullinan said that Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney confirmed that Ireland was to receive just over €1bn from the initial allocation when he spoke at the north Tipperary AGM in January.

“This allocation reflects the exposure of this country, and in particular our agri-food sector, to the fallout from Brexit,” he said.

Biggest hit

“Ever since the vote in 2016, it has been acknowledged that Ireland would take the biggest hit from the UK decision to leave the EU.

“Therefore, it follows that we should be in line for the largest amount from the Brexit compensation fund,” he said.

Tim Cullinan said the Government and full-time representation in Brussels have to take a stand and ward off any attempt to deny our sector much-needed funding.

He said IFA’s work on securing a significant portion of Ireland’s allocation has been based on the amount announced in January, and that the IFA would be proceeding on that basis.

“The solidarity that existed for Ireland during the tortuous talks that brought an agreement on trade in December has to remain in place,” he said.