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The result has caused shockwaves in agriculture and business along the border, with one Armagh businessman saying he was “still reeling from the news. We just don’t know what is going to happen.”
Sinn Féin politician and former MP for Newry and Armagh Conor Murphy expressed his concern at the outcome, saying he didn’t believe the British government would continue to fund agricultural subsidies in the same manner as the EU.
Agriculture is down the list of priorities for the British government
“Agriculture is down the list of priorities for the British government and I think that farmers recognise that. Their priority is reducing the deficit,” he said.
“We are heading into a period of uncertainty and we need to ensure there is as little damage as possible. Any negotiations I have ever been involved in with any funding has had to be squeezed out of the British government.”
“The North has been a net beneficiary of the EU, not a net contributor, and the agriculture and agri-food sector has benefited from that,” he said.
Border controls
Last week in the House of Commons, UK Prime Minister David Cameron warned of controls along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic – soon to be the only land border between the UK and the European Union.
“If we were to leave and, as the Leave campaigners want, make a big issue about our borders, then you’ve got a land border with Britain outside the European Union and the Republic of Ireland inside the EU,” Cameron said.
“Therefore, you can only either have new border controls between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, or, which I would regret hugely, you would have to have some sort of checks on people as they left Belfast or other parts of Northern Ireland to come to the rest of UK.”
Any custom checkpoints would lead to great difficulty for the movement of goods
Conor Murphy told the Irish Farmers Journal that any border controls would impact on trade and the movement of people.
“The vast majority of our exports go to the EU, and the vast majority of that goes to the south, so any custom checkpoints would lead to great difficulty for the movement of goods.”
“Trade links have steadily grown over the past 10 to 15 years and our interests need to be recognised by the Irish government.”
Such a concern was echoed by Terry Hearty, a suckler farmer along the border in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh. He said he was annoyed with the result, adding that the impact in the area will be serious and devastating.
“We never recognised the border here and any check points would have a total disruption for the daily lives of people who could cross the border three or four times a day.”
“The farming sector is struggling as it is, especially in beef and dairy, and farmers are dependent on the single farm payment (SFP), so this will have a devastating effect on rural development.”
Farmers in the North receive £326m in EU funding from the EU and over 70% of all European funding goes to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), with direct payments representing 87% of annual income for farmers.
Community relations
Terry, who is also a Sinn Féin councillor for Newry, Mourne and Down, added: “Farm grants for buildings and handling facilities are vital for farmers and they rely on the funding which comes from the EU, as does community development funding.”
The wishes of the people of the North have been lost
The largest party in Northern Ireland, the DUP, campaigned for a leave vote. Although Northern Ireland returned a majority remain vote, Conor Murphy said this does not compromise Arlene Foster’s position as First Minister: “Arlene Foster was elected to the First Minister position at the assembly elections and that remains, but I do believe they took the wrong position.
“We are calling for a border poll to give Irish people the ability to decide their own future,” he added. “There has been a monumental shift and the wishes of the people of the North have been lost.”
Uncertainty the theme of the day at the Royal Highland Show
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