Anyone attending the dynamic Virginia Agricultural Show will see the importance of the agri-food sector to the northern half of the country, according to the President of the ICMSA (Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association), John Comer.

The president noted that this highlighted the absolute requirement for a positive Brexit agreement that protects industries and communities in the border region.

“We’ve about 18 months to go to Brexit and, bluntly, we are as unclear today as we were the day after the referendum result was announced, with the resultant anxiety around Brexit being felt in every parish both south and north of the border,” Comer said.

The presence today at the Virginia show of farmers and their families, input suppliers and contractors, as well as milk and beef processors, illustrates very vividly the massive reach of the agri-food sector.

“It must remind every politician – whether south, north, UK or EU – of the scale of damage that could be done to rural industries and to farm families in every corner of Ireland, but most particularly in the northern half of the country and along the border regions.”

Comer said that the ICMSA wants to see concrete actions put in place at national and EU level that can be activated to protect farm families and the wider agri-food sector from a political decision that is completely outside their control and which can address the new reality.

This series of concrete actions must begin with Budget 2018 which should focus strongly on Brexit and include specific measures that will enable farmers to plan for even more pronounced volatility issues.

The president said that the ICMSA has proposed the Farm Management Deposit Scheme as a model to address the kind of wholly destructive income volatility that is already a part of modern farming and some suitable response will have to be delivered in Budget 2018.

“The position has not changed and Ireland’s farming interests have not changed. We need an adequately funded CAP to maintain existing payment levels post 2020 while a free trade agreement with zero tariffs must be secured with no physical border between north and south.”

Concluding, Comer said: “These are the two critical issues and we desperately need some clarifications on both as soon as possible to provide the sector with a level of certainty and confidence and to stimulate investment.”