Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the points articulated by the Deputy. There are many agribusinesses along the Border such as the aforementioned McCarren's, Lakeland Dairies, LacPatrick and Strathroy in the North. We have, effectively, an all-island agrifood economy. Some 50% of our beef exports and 30% of our dairy exports are to the United Kingdom. A significant challenge is presented in that regard, particularly in the production of cheddar cheese, for which there are no ready-made alternative global markets. Our objective is to try to ensure we get as close to the current trading arrangements as possible. One of the issues that is often overlooked in the public debate in which there is a concentration of effort on Border tariffs is the one I raised in my initial reply, namely, that of SPS, sanitary and phytosanitary standards. If, for example, we have a situation where there is agreement on tariffs and it is a benign arrangement which will not change significantly, we could still be snookered on the basis of a variation in standards with the UK production system which would oblige us to police all movements of goods over and back across the Border. The application of equal standards here and in the United Kingdom post-Brexit is really important because it would also protect us, for example, from cheaper imports into the UK market which would undermine our market position there. That is something of which we are acutely conscious.

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