‘Increasing concern’ over possible changes to NI protocol — IFA

The Irish Farmers’ Association has said there is “increasing concern” among its members over proposed changes to the Northern Ireland protocol ahead of anticipated unilateral changes expected on Monday.

IFA president Tim Cullinan said trade between north and south is “working well and is operating in a positive way” under the current arrangements, which allow for a frictionless border but impose checks on goods arriving from Britain to Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that contrary to remarks by Democratic Unionist Party chair Jeffrey Donaldson, there was no such thing as an all-island economy, the success of farming and food was “built entirely on seamless trade, free movement of goods and farmers on both sides of the border working in co-operation”.

“As Minister and as a border TD, changes to the protocol that would disrupt the status quo could be severely damaging to our €13 billion exports and our farm families,” Mr McConalogue said in a statement. “This is more important than politics, this is about our largest indigenous industry and generations of farm families,” he said.

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UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s government is expected to publish legislation on Monday allowing it to make unilateral changes to the operation of the protocol, which Ireland and the European Commission argue would be a breach of international law.

“The farming sector is going through massive upheaval at the moment. The inputs crisis is putting huge pressure on farmers. Anything that creates more disruption will be very negative,” Mr Cullinan said. “Every effort must be made to safeguard trade in agri-food goods, which plays a crucial role in the prosperity of rural communities.

“Whatever the merits of the deal that was eventually agreed in December 2020, it has to be honoured. We have always said that Brexit would be damaging for our sector, but further unilateral changes will only add to the problem.”

The IFA said it is in regular dialogue with the Ulster Farmers’ Union and the National Farmers’ Union and is committed to maintaining trade flows between Ireland and the UK.

The Business Post reported on Sunday that the new legislation is expected to give ministers powers to remove all customs processes between Britain and Northern Ireland, remove the oversight of the European Court of Justice, and allow businesses in the North to choose whether they want to follow British or EU regulations.