Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes.

I attended a briefing this morning with a delegation from the Border Communities Against Brexit. I want to relay some the concerns they spoke about this morning. To be honest, I came out of it a little traumatised after listening to the fear and uncertainty facing the people living on either side of the Border. It is very worrying and extremely frustrating. They feel they are not getting proper answers. They are terrified of what a no-deal Brexit would mean for them. In terms of the dairy industry, and I know we have done this previously, but I want to highlight what they said. They spoke about dairy farming and said that if trade tariffs were imposed on raw milk and related products moving from Northern Ireland into the EU or across the Border, the dairy council said it would cost about €360 million per year. That tariff alone is 25% of the value of the entire industry and would mean an 11 cent drop in the price paid to farmers. Quite simply, it would cause a huge proportion of the industry to collapse and thousands of jobs and livelihoods would be lost.

Brian Cunningham, a seventh generation fisherman from Carlingford Lough, spoke about how his mussel farm will not be able to deal with the delays and checks and he thinks it might end up possibly having to be closed. It is not only a financial loss. It is the destruction of part of our social fabric and the loss of fishing communities that have been in place for generations.

Damian McGinty, who led the delegation, referenced research from a Central Bank economist, Dr. Thomas Conefrey, which showed that beef and sheep farmers which make up 70% of Irish farms are heavily reliant on direct payments from the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy. One in three Irish farms are classified as economically vulnerable and these will be the farms at risk of going under if no deal is reached.

Again, the fear being felt by these communities is very clear and it is really troubling. Somebody in the audiovisual room this morning said that no one south of the Boyne understands how personal this is for the people involved and their lives and families, and how worrying it is for them.

It is crucial these realities are first and foremost in all our minds in the coming weeks in the efforts to reach a deal. I know the Government is doing a good job. These people understand the reality and they have made the case strongly that a no-deal solution would have a devastating impact on our economy, North and South, and on very many lives. The Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, has reflected stories like this consistently over the past few years. These businesses are rightly seeking an answer from the Government. What will the Border look like on 10 November and how will it work?. That is what they want to know because that is what they are terrified off.