Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome both gentlemen and again thank them for their comprehensive submissions on Brexit. We have been here since 10 a.m. I was nearly said "depressing submissions" because the submissions do not get any better as we move from one to another. That is the harsh reality. There are so many unknowns and it seems to be all doom and gloom. It is starting to become depressing at this committee because there are very few positives. While we are all delving and trying to come up with solutions and answers, the solutions, answers and outcomes are somewhat beyond our control.

I would like the delegates to elaborate a little more on their position. If they were in a similar position based in the United Kingdom, where would they stand on the issue? While the agrifood sector is a very high priority for us on the island of Ireland, when those who will negotiate the divorce and, in turn, the trade deal sit down, on the British side agriculture and the agrifood sector will not be very high up the ladder. How do the delegaes as representatives of their sectors propose to get the British side to make it a high priority? Banging on the door for the sector may get us sympathy all around the world and kind comments and remarks, including from Mr. Michel Barnier, but while we are getting loads of sympathy, when it comes to hard and fast negotiating, will Mrs. Theresa May have 25 other priorities before agriculture and agriculture-related industries even get a mention or a look-in?

Senator Joe O'Reilly mentioned the all-island kite being flown. If Northern Ireland were to be given special status, at least there would not be a hard border, rather there would be an east-west border somewhere in the Irish sea. How much of an advantage would that be? Would we be opening a new can of worms through having an all-island economy? We would be able to trade freely between Dublin and Belfast, but Belfast would still be part of the United Kingdom and we would still be a member of the European Union. The agriculture sector would still be part of the CAP, while that in the North would not. With an imaginary border in the Irish Sea, would there be a situation where a product exported from Dublin to London would be subject to tariff, whereas a product from Belfast to here would not? While the issue has been flagged by a lot of people, I have said on more than one occasion, including today, that it might be seen by our colleagues in the EU 27 as a goodwill gesture that would go a big part of the way towards solving our problems, but it might not be. We have to look at the worst and best case scenarios. We are hoping for the best, but we have to consider and prepare for the worst. If we were to end up with an all-island economy, would it be of advantage to either of the respective areas the delegates represent?

We have had representatives of different sectors of agriculture before us today, but there is only so much we can discuss and we have gone through most of it already.