Dr. Kieran McQuinn:

In addition to that issue and going back to what we were saying about the agricultural sector, the implications for the agricultural sector in the North are almost identical in the context of a free trade agreement. If the UK were to have a free trade agreement and, as a result, substantial amounts of cheaper products were to come into the UK, that would have huge ramifications for the agricultural sector in the North. The political economy issue that struck me from my previous time in Teagasc is that agriculture in the context of the UK is nowhere near as important as what it is for us in Ireland. Consequently, in any future negotiations that take place between the UK and North American countries or wherever, agriculture will not have the same kind of importance and significance attached to it that it does when Northern Ireland is part of the European Union in those trade negotiations. That is a relevant point. We know Brexit has been more of an English phenomenon than anything and, consequently, it is a political likelihood that, in any negotiations, it will be issues that are of particular interest to the English economy that will predominate in any discussions and negotiations. That could have far-reaching consequences for the agricultural sector across the UK, particularly in Northern Ireland.