Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Joe Healy has said that he will travel to Brussels today, January 16, to meet with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, following the vote in the British Parliament that rejected the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

The purpose of the meeting is, according to Healy, to look for “firm commitments” of support for Irish farmers, saying that they would feel the “full force” of a no-deal Brexit.

“It’s time for EU solidarity to be converted into tangible support. Some of our sectors – beef, dairy, mushrooms – will be very badly exposed and will require significant financial assistance,” argued Healy.

Yesterday evening, January 15, the UK Parliament voted overwhelmingly to reject the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which makes a no-deal Brexit a possible outcome, which in turn would lead to tariffs on Irish produce exported to Britain.

Healy added: “The prospect of a crash-out Brexit is a serious threat, which would be catastrophic for farmers on two islands and hugely damaging to the interests of consumers. Dicing with a cliff-edge Brexit is madness for everybody.”

Healy also held talks yesterday with UK farm leaders, where he insisted that a no-deal would be a “disaster” for farmers in Ireland and the UK.

“We have grave concerns regarding the dangers of a no-deal outcome that would cause massive disruption to the normal trade flows between the two countries, on which farmers greatly depend for their livelihoods,” he said, arguing that the food supply chains of Ireland and Britain are “deeply intertwined”.

Brexit fallout

Yesterday evening, the withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU was overwhelmingly rejected by members of parliament, suffering a massive defeat of 432 against, and only 202 in favour.

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, will now face a vote of confidence in parliament, less than two months after surviving a similar vote within her own party.