Speaking at the event, European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said it was a priority of the Commission to “mitigate the damage to the Irish and European economies and particularly the agri-food economy” as Brexit rolls out.

Dr Fiona Thorne of Teagasc said that while all Irish farm types would be negatively affected, the Irish beef sector appeared to be particularly vulnerable and could experience a fall in beef prices.

She also said that farmers may lose some of their CAP-funded direct income support payments if the next CAP reform has to be designed to fit within a smaller EU budget that might result from Brexit.

Elsewhere on CAP, Trinity College professor of agricultural policy Alan Matthews said in the upcoming reform there could be calls for member state co-financing of pillar 1 of the CAP, due to the EU budget deliberations and the reduction in the size of the budget.

Free trade agreement

Professor Alan Swinbank of the University of Reading told the conference that to facilitate a future free trade agreement, the EU should consider, on a phased basis, the unilateral reduction of its continuing very high tariff levels.

Meanwhile, Teagasc economist Trevor Donnellan said that there needs to be a transition period between current EU-UK trading relationships and those after Brexit.

’The future of farming is at stake’ - Healy at IFA Brexit event

Mitigating damage to agri-food a priority, Hogan tells Teagasc Brexit event

Teagasc held its 'Brexit and Beyond' conference in Dublin on Monday, with agricultural economists from over 24 countries in attendance.