"The Brexit unknown is the biggest shadow hanging over us," Bord Bord Bia chief executive Tara McCarthy told the agency's annual meat marketing seminar in Naas, Co Kildare, this Friday.
Yet, with no indication as to whether the UK will accept the withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU, crash out without a deal or seek an extension to find another solution, speakers at the event were optimistic that the country would remain open to Irish meat.
"The UK is only 65% self-sufficient in food, that won't change in 77 days," said Bord Bia overseas trade manager Shane Hamill.
However, he warned of the costs and delays involved in shipping meat to the UK or importing ingredients and packaging, regardless of the legal situation on the morning of 30 March.
Bord Bia - Padraig Brennan.
Carol Lynch of BDO Customs and Trade said exporters should get ready for potential tariffs, compliance checks, veterinary checks and the time involved in processing all documents.
For example, companies will need to complete the EU's 54-box single administrative document (SAD) or its UK equivalent for each movement through customs, she warned.
They may have to manage checks and paperwork on both sides of the border.
"If you're selling to a buyer in the UK, they will probably ask that you act as the importer in the UK," Lynch said, with clients like Aldi already making this request.
"If you're renewing contracts, make sure you Brexit-proof them: who is going to be responsible for these costs?" she added.
Bord Bia - Mark Zieg.
On veterinary checks, the UK has pledged to recognise EU products as compliant, even if there is no deal, but Lynch warned that this would be only temporary.
For meat exporters transiting through Britain to ship products to continental Europe, the UK and the EU have signed a transit convention. This means there won't be multiple checks when crossing each border.
However, there will still be paperwork involved, and one check when lorries arrive on the continent, with delays likely, said Hamill.
"But when we talk about traffic chaos in Rotterdam, we're missing the point. You first need to fill the forms fast enough," he warned.
This is in addition to tariffs that would apply in a no-deal scenario, with the following rates imposed on meat products:
Beef: 12.8% + €176.8/100kgPigmeat: between €53.60 and €86.90/100kgSheepmeat: 12.8% + €90.20 to €311.80/100kgSausages: 15.4% + €149.40/kg Read more
Watch: meat markets to improve later this year – but Brexit lies in between
"The Brexit unknown is the biggest shadow hanging over us," Bord Bord Bia chief executive Tara McCarthy told the agency's annual meat marketing seminar in Naas, Co Kildare, this Friday.
Yet, with no indication as to whether the UK will accept the withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU, crash out without a deal or seek an extension to find another solution, speakers at the event were optimistic that the country would remain open to Irish meat.
"The UK is only 65% self-sufficient in food, that won't change in 77 days," said Bord Bia overseas trade manager Shane Hamill.
However, he warned of the costs and delays involved in shipping meat to the UK or importing ingredients and packaging, regardless of the legal situation on the morning of 30 March.
Bord Bia - Padraig Brennan.
Carol Lynch of BDO Customs and Trade said exporters should get ready for potential tariffs, compliance checks, veterinary checks and the time involved in processing all documents.
For example, companies will need to complete the EU's 54-box single administrative document (SAD) or its UK equivalent for each movement through customs, she warned.
They may have to manage checks and paperwork on both sides of the border.
"If you're selling to a buyer in the UK, they will probably ask that you act as the importer in the UK," Lynch said, with clients like Aldi already making this request.
"If you're renewing contracts, make sure you Brexit-proof them: who is going to be responsible for these costs?" she added.
Bord Bia - Mark Zieg.
On veterinary checks, the UK has pledged to recognise EU products as compliant, even if there is no deal, but Lynch warned that this would be only temporary.
For meat exporters transiting through Britain to ship products to continental Europe, the UK and the EU have signed a transit convention. This means there won't be multiple checks when crossing each border.
However, there will still be paperwork involved, and one check when lorries arrive on the continent, with delays likely, said Hamill.
"But when we talk about traffic chaos in Rotterdam, we're missing the point. You first need to fill the forms fast enough," he warned.
This is in addition to tariffs that would apply in a no-deal scenario, with the following rates imposed on meat products:
Beef: 12.8% + €176.8/100kgPigmeat: between €53.60 and €86.90/100kgSheepmeat: 12.8% + €90.20 to €311.80/100kgSausages: 15.4% + €149.40/kg Read more
Watch: meat markets to improve later this year – but Brexit lies in between
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