The Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed, met with his UK counterpart Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in London on Wednesday 13 June.

The potential impact of Brexit on agriculture was discussed, with Creed also attending the UK Food and Drinks Federation conference as the keynote speaker.

“This was a timely meeting in the context of the current debate in the UK on the direction of travel in the Brexit negotiations. I reiterated our concerns to Secretary of State Gove around the pace of the negotiations, especially on border issues,” Minister Creed said.

Brexit

With Brexit less than 10 months away, cross-border trade between the north and south of Ireland is becoming an increasing concern.

The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly published a report this week insisting that trade across the border must remain frictionless.

The report outlined that about 25% of milk produced and 40% of lambs raised in Northern Ireland (NI) are processed in the Republic. Similarly, around 25-30% of pigs processed in NI came from south of the border.

The Assembly stated that no current form of technology existed that could impose frictionless border checks.

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