The publication today of the draft legal text that gives effect to phase 1 of the Brexit negotiations is huge political news but will have little benefit for farmers.

The agreement in December signed off between UK Prime Minister Teresa May and EU Commission President Jean Claude Junker was delayed because the DUP MP’s from Northern Ireland objected to Northern Ireland being in a different arrangement with the EU than the rest of the UK.

The benefit for farmers south of the border is negligible

This was overcome by the UK Government inserting a clause that the fall-back position for the rest of the UK would be to stay within the customs union as well, therefore avoiding a border in the Irish Sea.

Future position

Now the text that is proposed to give legal effect to this makes no mention of the future position of Britain though in an attached protocol it makes provision for Northern Ireland having continued access to the customs union therefore preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland.

This is likely to be opposed by unionist politicians in Northern Ireland and the British Government.

The benefit for farmers south of the border is negligible the proposed arrangement would facilitate cattle, carcase beef or pigs going north but would not solve the problem of access to the British market where the vast bulk of Irish agri food exports go.

Of little benefit to farmers either side of the border.

For Northern Ireland farmers it would be even worse. While they send a third of their milk and almost half their sheep south for processing, almost three quarters of their agri food production is also sold in Britain.

This proposed arrangement to deal with the Irish border would effectively create a border in the Irish Sea and destroy the business with the rest of the UK for Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland.

Therefore what looks a neat solution for the Irish border that would be hugely controversial politically, is of little benefit to farmers either side of the border.

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