The President of the IFA (Irish Farmers’ Association), Joe Healy, met with the EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier, yesterday morning (Thursday) in Dublin at an event hosted by the EU Commission.
The event is the second time Healy has met Barnier, following a meeting last month in Brussels.
Healy commented on the negotiator, saying: “Michel Barnier displayed a good understanding of our issues when we last met. I will be emphasising that minimising the disruption to trade is included as a priority in the discussions on the border.
“In addition, it is critical that the second phase of negotiations, which will deal with the future relationship between the EU and UK, commence as soon as possible.
It is also critically important that the strongest trading relationship is maintained with the UK (which takes over 40% of our food exports), the value of the UK market is upheld, and that there is a fully-funded CAP after 2020.
Also on the cards yesterday, Angus Woods, IFA National Livestock Chairman, hosted a delegation from the European Peoples’ Party (EPP) on his farm in Co. Wicklow to discuss the implications of Brexit for Irish farming.
Woods said: “As Livestock Chairman, I will be setting out the very serious implications for the Irish beef and livestock sector. The UK is our most valuable market and this has to be to the forefront of the negotiations on Brexit.”
In an address to the Oireachtas yesterday, Barnier assured that he would work to avoid a hard border between the Republic and the North, stating that “nothing should put peace at risk”.