Anti-Irish sentiment threat to food trade

It is not sufficient to remain in ‘reactive mode’ to the problem and even if Britain departs without an agreement on a deal, Ireland must secure arrangements that allow trade to continue in terms similar to those applicable at present. And having no physical border in the north of the country is fundamental to achieving this. It is now time, the Tipperary man said, for the government here and the EU to declare an aid package for the agri-food sector to allow it to engineer that best deal possible from what emerges after Brexit. We have gone beyond that point where there are more “airy announcements that an aid package will be forthcoming: We have to hear specifics and we have to hear them within days as farmers are already suffering considerable losses - particularly in the beef sector,” he said.