UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s claim suggesting that the EU will stop the transport of food products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland has been rubbished by an Irish MEP as “a deliberate attempt to misinterpret mutually designed provisions in the Protocol on Northern Ireland”.
Criticising Johnson, Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly further described the UK Prime Minister’s claims as “nothing more than an audacious act to justify the breaking of international law”.
The Ireland South MEP stated: “The protocol itself was specifically designed to protect the Good Friday Agreement, including avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.
However, the comments of the Prime Minister bring to the front-line once again concerns all across Ireland from the agriculture sector, and the access of Irish products to the British market, particularly that of beef.
“The economic integration on the island of Ireland has resulted in the development of a highly intertwined agri-food sector.
“The British market is of utmost importance for Irish farmers, and we must do everything we can to maintain competitive access.
“With such exposure to any change in market access, the Irish agricultural sector needs to be front and centre of the EU farmers’ €5 billion Brexit compensation fund,” Kelly insisted.
This is not a zero sum game and it has significant real-life implications, not just for Irish producers, but also for British consumers who will experience higher prices in their supermarkets on a wide variety of products.
“I would strongly urge the British Prime Minister to change his tact and return to building trust with the EU so that a mutually beneficial and fair deal can be made.
“The first step of which is simply to honour the previous agreement,” Kelly concluded.