AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES & FOOD
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As a Dairy farmer, I know all too well the strains and hardships of today’s farming enterprises and more so with the threatened impact of Brexit on the Agricultural and Fisheries Sectors. As a nation we are still unsure of the full impact a hard exit will have with Britain leaving the EU, it may present the most serious threat to Irish farming in the history of the State due to 38% of our agri-food sector exporting to the UK. Agriculture makes a significant contribution to the Irish economy with an average €13.9 billion and it is clear that the sector plays an important role in many of our rural communities as it makes up 10% of our national employment. Brexit continues to pose huge uncertainty to the Irish economy overall and the Government needs to re-invest in agriculture now more than ever before and prevent any further attacks on existing farm markets and schemes. These schemes are highly important for the survival of farm families and the development of more live export markets outside of the UK for Irish cattle will secure better market prices for the future of the Agri industry.