Mr. Peter Sheridan:

I thank the joint committee for its invitation to give evidence. I have submitted a paper on behalf of Co-operation Ireland and do not propose to go through it now, as members will have had an opportunity to read it.

It will come as no surprise to the committee that our interest in this matter concerns Brexit, in particular, and its impact on rural and local communities on the Border between Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland. As an organisation, Co-operation Ireland took a neutral position on the referendum in Northern Ireland, not least because some board members were pro-Brexit, while some were pro-Remain. For example, the former First Minister Mr. Peter Robinson and the former chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party were pro-Brexit, while my vice chairman, Mr. John Bruton, and the chairman were pro-Remain. That said, the board was able to agree on a number of matters, for example, the protection of the peace process, the common travel area, there being minimal impact on the Border and the importance of deepening and strengthening British-Irish relationships, given that tensions are more likely to arise during the negotiations.

I do not have to tell anyone in this room that the future of community, economic and social development is at risk as a result of Brexit. From communities and those with whom we work on the ground, I pick up concerns about the sustainability of local communities. Currency fluctuations are already impacting on some communities and businesses which worry about trade, tariffs and customs, the CAP budget and the integrated supply chains across the Border daily. Like everyone else, I cannot give guarantees on this issue. Since the Good Friday Agreement, there has largely been an invisible border. A farmer on the Border told me that people had not thought about it since the peace process and did not see it anymore. The Border re-emerging is a risk. If it does, will it become an issue of identity? The wider context of European integration took much of the heat out of the Border issue and made a region in which inhabitants could be British, Irish or both easier to imagine. The potential for that being undone in communities is now real.

The main apprehension I am picking up is local people's concerns that the global issues of trade and customs, the focus of governments, will dwarf the local issues faced by rural communities. These global issues will affect the communities in question, but the impacts will be specific to where they live if there is a return to a physical border.

Other issues include the loss of EU funding, the protection of human rights and agriculture. Some people see opportunities, but what they might be is not clear at this stage. There are concerns in the tourism and agrifood sectors about the impact of Brexit on working class rural communities.

That is all that I want to say. I will turn to my colleague from the Glens Centre in County Leitrim who I asked to join us because we work closely with the centre.