A forum, organised by the Agricultural Science Association (ASA), heard that the negotiation of any bilateral trade agreements are highly unlikely in the wake of Brexit, according to a statement it issued today (24 March.)
The conference which took place yesterday in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny featured a panel discussion with contributions from John Moloney, Chair, Food Wise 2025, Lucinda Creighton from EU Advisory Company Vulcan Consulting, Jim Power, Economist and Joe Healy, IFA President.
Speaking at the event Lucinda Creighton highlighted that 'Brexit is further complicated by an increasingly turbulent EU political environment with upcoming elections in France and Germany and that Ireland lacked a coordinated message to the EU.'
Creighton said, “The feedback I get from Europe is that Ireland is more active than any other country, that we have lobby groups going over from all sectors but they are getting different messages from everybody and they don’t know what Ireland wants and what our end game is. It is still totally unclear as to what we as a country are proposing and this needs to be defined and communicated as a matter of urgency.”
Reportedly, economist Jim Power strongly agreed with Creighton that 'any talk of a bilateral trade agreement would not be entertained by the EU', describing such a concept as 'fantasy'.
According to the statement, overall the panel was agreed that as a result of Brexit, Ireland is currently in unchartered waters and that the agri-food sector was by far the most exposed sector.
© 2017 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
