Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In one of my first interventions in the Dáil, I congratulated the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, his Department and the Government for the good work they have done on Brexit. As an MEP, I was proud at how well we were represented in the ongoing negotiations and deliberations. The Minister of State also made a positive contribution and I thank her for it.

I have been listening to the debate in my office. While some of the issues I wanted to raise have already been raised, I will try to ask different questions about them. I have only three questions. The Mercosur agreement and its impact on the Irish beef industry has already been mentioned. There is a significant and ongoing rise in emissions as more of the Amazon is felled and burned. Apart from that, is the Council taking the impact of Brexit and the possibility of a limited free trade agreement, or perhaps even tariffs on Irish beef, into consideration when it is reviewing Mercosur? Deputy Michael Healy-Rae spoke earlier about live exports and I add my voice to what he said. I was pleased with the response from the Minister of State.

We export east-west and north-south to the UK. Let us take an example. An item is exported to Liverpool and the same item is exported to Belfast. Perhaps that latter item, or a component thereof, is then exported to mainland UK at some point. How are those two items treated and what is the difference in exporting requirements, if I am making myself clear?

My next question is about the regional impact of Brexit. Earlier today, I quoted to the Taoiseach a recent report from the three regional assemblies which showed that the north-west and Border regions have the greatest exposure to significant economic disruption because of Covid-19. We now have Brexit coming down the track and I strongly suggest to the Minister of State that, for businesses and sectors such as food production and agriculture, we need to keep in mind the following. There is an economic gap between the regions to begin with and it has been exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19, as referenced by this report from the three regional assemblies. Brexit will have a unique impact on the Border regions and the north-west of the country.

Keeping those three things in mind, what I am asking is that the Government ensures it puts the necessary protections in place for the sectors that will be worst affected in the Border and north-west region.

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