European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has slammed as “beggars belief” the no-deal Brexit tariffs proposed on Wednesday by the British government.

He told RTÉ Six One News that the tariff regime was “ill thought-out”, was an attempt to “try to break the European Union unity” and to frighten Ireland. He also described the tariff regime as “draconian”.

“We don’t even know if it’s legal, if it’s compatible with the World Trade Organisation rules,” he said, saying that it was an effort to try to change the news cycle in London.

Commissioner Hogan said the EU is very solid in terms of its unity.

Irish beef

The Commissioner also said that the EU stands ready to help Irish beef farmers in the event of a no-deal.

“Hopefully at some stage in the coming weeks, the UK will come to reason and not abandon its own consumers who want to see high-quality European products. They want to continue eating good-quality Irish beef,” he said.

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‘Beggars belief’ - Hogan slams tariffs in no-deal Brexit

The European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has hit out at the UK government after it published no-deal Brexit tariffs which would have serious consequences for Irish agri-food exports.