Listen: Brexit worries and satisfaction in equal measures at Newry Show

There was mixed reaction to the news of Brexit at the Newry Show this Saturday.

Some were still reeling from the news, but others see this as a positive result and are happy to say goodbye to the EU.

"I voted to get out and I was delighted yesterday morning," said one dairy farmer.

"I think there is a lot of bureaucracy in Europe and perhaps this will do away with that. A lot of things seem to be European-controlled but we would be better controlling it ourselves.

"Things will take shape in the next few months and then we see because there is a lot of ifs, ands and buts at the moment. But one thing is for sure, things can't get any worse than what they are at the moment," he said.

Listen to farmers welcoming the outcome of the referendum in our podcast below:

The future or subsidies

Francis King from BMWR Young Farmers Club said, however, that he was completely shocked when he heard of the leave vote.

"I really thought and hoped we were going to stay. It's hard to know what is going to happen now."

The beef farmer has hopes to take over the family farm, but the issue of subsidies is a concern: "Will the single farm payment still be there? They don't seem to know themselves and that's the problem."

A petition to hold a second referendum has already received over two million signatures, and Francis said he would also be in favour of another vote.

On the issue of border controls, Francis is hopeful there will be none: "The Republic is one of our biggest suppliers and buyers, so we need access to and from it. It would be hard to put borders back, especially after all the work that has been done in the peace process.

"If the south doesn't buy our beef, prices will go down so there is a lot of uncertainty."

We have to embrace what we can export

James Graham, a pedigree Hereford breeder, also expressed shock at the outcome but believes this could be very positive for the north.

"I think everybody was taken aback yesterday, but we are where we are and we have to look at the positive side of things," he said.

"We have to embrace what we can export and what deals can be done for the beef industry. There are new markets out there and every cloud has a silver lining, so maybe we will be able to do a lot more exporting out of the north.

"It's up to the local politicians now to get the best deals and they have to look after their own people in the north."

Potential new markets

The pedigree breeder also said he had every faith in Martin McGuiness and Arlene Foster to deliver for farmers and that he absolutely believed the British government would subsidise farmers.

"The farming industry is the backbone of the whole of Ireland and we can't be ignored," he said.

"We have to look at the bigger picture over the next five years. It could open up new markets for us, rather than being curtailed within the EU."

However, one suckler farmer said he believes there "isn't a chance the British government will subsidise farmers. They look after their own and we come second best".

As for potential new markets for the beef industry, he does not believe they will materialise: "We have it hard enough getting rid of our beef to a European market without even trying a worldwide market.

"The single farm payment is basically what is keep farmers in Northern Ireland going at the minute and we just don't know what is going to happen," he added.

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NI agri-food representatives react to Brexit vote

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