SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster, Patsy McGlone, has said that the British Government must address the concerns of dairy farmers and processors in the North. The SDLP Spokesperson on Agriculture was responding to the warning from the Dairy Council for NI that a no-deal Brexit would be “a devastating situation for the Northern Ireland dairy industry, farming families, rural communities and the Northern Ireland economy.”
Mr McGlone said, “Our local economy remains highly dependent on the sustainability of our agri-food sector. The future arrangements within the UK, on the island of Ireland, and with the rest of Europe will be essential to securing its continued success.
“The warning from the Dairy Council for NI that a no-deal Brexit would be devastating for the local dairy industry, farming families, rural communities and our economy should come as no surprise. It has been pointed out consistently, by the SDLP and others, that such a scenario would be a disaster for the agri-food sector here.
“The positioning by the current British Government and its enablers in the DUP means that a no-deal Brexit remains a real and present danger to the NI dairy sector.
“Any imposition of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade on the island of Ireland would threaten the jobs and livelihoods of more than 3,000 farm families across the North.
“Neither the British Government nor the DUP can bury their heads in the sand and ignore these concerns any longer.
“They will be directly responsible for the economic chaos that will follow a no-deal Brexit.”
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