Ms Nicola Byrne:

Dare I say it, but I think many of our members are hoping that common sense prevails and that politicians and people whom they have trusted to date to get us this far have got the wisdom to negotiate in a common-sense way. Sometimes there is nothing one can do because we have many businesses on the Border that export 97% of everything they make and they take in the parts from all around Europe, all of which comes in through the land bridge in the UK into Northern Ireland. The companies make high-end machinery and equipment. They do not know what to do because if they plan one way, it might go the other way. There are so many options that they are not making any plans. They are aware that a change is coming, but until somebody makes a decision, no plan can be made. We genuinely believe that common sense will ultimately prevail and that trade will be allowed to continue because nobody wants to destroy how far we have come and that we all have to recognise the uniqueness of the situation.

I use the word "hope" because none of us knows the outcome.