Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Fearon, Mr. Boyle and Mr. Sheridan. During one of the first Dáil debates we had after the UK referendum decision, I strongly advocated to the Taoiseach that we needed to hear the voice of civic society. It is important that the debate would not be dominated solely by people in politics or public administration. I welcome, therefore, the initiative taken by the Border Communities Against Brexit, BCAB, group. I was one of those who participated in the day of action at Aghalane Bridge on the Cavan-Fermanagh border. I represent Cavan-Monaghan in Dáil Éireann. I attended that rally along with elected Fianna Fáil party colleagues from the area, including Senator Diarmuid Wilson, Councillor John Paul Feeley and Councillor Seán Smith. I have to say, however, that I was disappointed with the small turnout. The public at large must be convinced of the import of this debate and the serious challenges facing the entire island. The BCAB group's work in that regard is very important, as is our own.

Mr. Fearon mentioned that he has met the Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Dunlop. This implies that he is not meeting the Secretary of State, but I hope I am wrong in that. It would be deplorable if he were not meeting the Secretary of State, given that the representative group covers a large geographical area. I learned from his introduction that he represents different sectors in society also. I gather from Mr. Sheridan that he is not a member of the Ulster Farmers Union. I welcome his comments which are particularly important. Mr. Sheridan said that the Border was invisible, while Mr. Fearon said it was difficult to find. Thank God it is. I grew up on the Border - Mr. Sheridan knows where I am from - with permanent vehicle checkpoints and all that type of thing. As under-age GAA players, we were stopped from going to play matches in Fermanagh or wherever. My own area runs all along the Cavan-Fermanagh part of the Border. A stranger visiting the area would know they were in a different county only when they saw the GAA county colours in summertime during the championship.

It is important to put on record the fact that our island has been transformed since the Good Friday Agreement was signed originally and then endorsed by all the people on this island. There has been major progress. As an opposition Deputy, I would argue that, unfortunately, we have not maximised the potential of the agreement. In fairness to successive administrations South and North, we have underestimated the huge progress in developing business and commerce on a cross-Border basis. If restrictions on the movement of people, goods and services arise from Brexit, we will then see impediments in the way of further progress required on this island, as well as the jobs we need in Border communities.

With regard to agricultural payments, people are living in cloud cuckoo land if they think the Brits will make good the shortfall in the single farm payment or the rural development plans because they will not. One can be certain of that. As a person with experience at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council over a number of years, I know that successive Irish Governments always supported the Northern Ireland Ministers for Agriculture in what they were seeking in support of their farmers. Successive British Ministers for agriculture, whether from the Labour or Tory tradition, were always against the Common Agricultural Policy. That is the unfortunate reality. The shortfall that will arise when Britain leaves the EU, which Northern farmers will lose, will not be made up by the British Government. It is very good for the National Farmers Union in Britain with its hundreds and hundreds of acres per member. It is a different community of farmers entirely from that in the small agricultural holdings in Fermanagh, Cavan, Armagh, Tyrone or Donegal. That is the reality. Our farmers need those compensatory payments. Unfortunately, our farming organisations, North or South, never emphasise enough that the payments that come from Europe are compensatory payments because of the restrictions on production on farmers. That message has never been got across adequately to the taxpayers at large with regard to the good food that is produced.

We have multinational Irish companies today that started as small creameries or beef slaughtering plants which now have a huge presence on all of our island. Lakeland Dairies, which started off in my native county of Cavan, was predominantly a Cavan-Monaghan north midlands enterprise and is a huge player now in Northern Ireland because it merged with another dairy business. Similarly, the former Town of Monaghan Co-op is now LacPatrick. Those dairy processors have sites both sides of the Border. Raw material travels south and north to be processed, finalised and made into a food product. I fear the difficulties that will arise as a result of different regulatory standards that may be in place with regard to the free movement of raw materials and finished product because whether there is a soft or hard Border, if there are impediments to trade there are costs. Those costs will go back to the primary producer because our processors will be less competitive in trying to sell their final product. I fear all of those particular aspects of Brexit. It is alright for Mr. Paterson to talk about the change in the red tape and all of that but not all of the red tape is incorrect because our farmers work to very high standards. That is why today I am speaking for our own State. We can sell food and drink products to 161 countries throughout the world because those markets and those people with purchasing power for multiples know that our farmers and processors work to very high, demanding and exacting standards. That is why we have a great footprint throughout the world, whether for products from Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland. That is not to say that some of the bureaucracy could not be gotten rid of. Many of the requirements and provisions that are in place are for the good of the consumer and the producer as well.

I wish the witnesses well in their work. As a representative of the two southern Ulster counties, I have to say there is huge work ahead of all of us to ensure that people on the ground know the huge challenges and obstacles that may be ahead of us as a result of Brexit.