Food Drink Ireland, has said that any future trading relationship with the UK must be underpinned by a comprehensive trade deal with no tariffs, no trade and customs fees/charges and no quotas on our food and drink trade.
“With €4.5bn of Irish exports to the UK and substantial imports of raw material and intermediates, our integrated supply chains would be damaged not just by tariffs but also by regulatory divergence," said Paul Kelly, director of Food Drink Ireland.
“Regulatory divergence is likely to have largest economic impact in any comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreement reached under the Revised Political Declaration.”
'Negotiations Must Ensure'
According to the Ibec group that represents the sector, the forthcoming negotiations must ensure the following:
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- Maximum collaboration / co-operation on food and drink regulations and standards
- Regulatory co-operation should be built on by going beyond standard WTO agreements
- A focus on customs co-operation to mitigate the costly burden of customs controls and procedures
- Rules of origin must be designed to ensure that established trade flows in our integrated and shared supply chains can continue without major changes
He concluded: “The transition period also needs to be of sufficient length for businesses to plan and prepare for any new FTA arrangements and avoid cliff edges. We cannot allow the final months of 2020 to descend in uncertainty and substantial business costs.”
© 2020 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
