Agriculture has developed the unfortunate habit of being the first and prime piece of collateral damage as a result of political disputes. Still reeling from the political fallout of the EU with Russia, farmers are now having to contend with Brexit and a sterling devaluation of over 20%.

There is little that the family farm model can do to protect itself from such severe income volatility. The responsibility clearly lies with Brussels to protect farmers in this environment. The EU must move to protect sectors in neighbouring member states that are feeling the effects of Brexit. Clearly, both the EU and Irish Government were totally unprepared for Brexit and the Irish lobby has been slow to recognise the severity of the impact on agriculture – particularly the beef and mushroom sectors.