Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I wish to speak about the effect this trade war will have on small areas such as my town in Cavan. Two of the largest employers in my town are Lakeland Dairies and Terra Limited. One makes butter and the other is a distillery making whiskey for the US market. The tariffs announced are causing fear and instability in the world of business but also in local communities and the workforce. Most people going to work this morning were listening to the radio. It is causing some concern.

I am also concerned, living in a Border county, about the more favourable tariffs in Northern Ireland and the effect that may have on our local economy. The tariffs on Irish goods, the threat to our corporation tax model and retaliatory economic measures from the EU are not distant possibilities; they are happening now. We need leadership that does not just sit back and hope our EU counterparts will fix everything for us. We need to be proactive. We need a considered approach. I was happy to hear the Tánaiste speak about that this morning. Businesses need support and good and timely information. We want business to thrive but we also want a sense of economic sovereignty. If we are to weather this storm, we must make Ireland a place businesses choose to stay not just because of tax breaks but because we have built a resilient, innovative and fair economy.