Farmer and Irish rugby captain Rory Best wants the UK to vote to remain in the EU, according to his Twitter account.

Best tweeted that Thursday, June 23, the day the UK goes to the polls, is an important date for farmers and the agri-food sector.

“Support them [the farmers and those working in the agri-food sector] by voting to stay in the EU! #Brexit #NoPlanB,” he said on Twitter.

Best farms across a number of locations in south Down and is a tillage and beef farmer with a pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd.

[yes-app]

Rory Best

[/yes-app]

Next week, the British electorate goes to the polls where they will vote either to remain within or leave the UK.

As the UK is an important trading partner with Ireland, the prospect of a Brexit presents a number of potential challenges for Ireland.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that in 2015 Ireland exported almost €5.1 billion worth of agricultural products and our imports from the UK were worth €3.8 billion.

Some 50% of Irish beef exports, which are valued at €1.1 billion, go to the UK market while 30% of Ireland’s dairy exports go to the UK.

Ireland’s future trading relationship with the UK would not continue as it does currently should Brexit become a reality as Ireland would be part of the EU trading bloc. Furthermore, there is no provision for negotiation of a special Ireland-UK trading relationship.

A possible Brexit also throws up the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Should the UK leave the EU, the Republic will be the only country to have a land border with the UK in the form of the North.

Also Read: ‘Brexit could knock as much as €800m off the value of Irish food exports’

Commentators for the Leave side are convinced that there will be no border controls should the UK leave, however, those on the Remain side have said that border controls will become a reality.