BMPA Response to Government Paper on Irish Border

The Government recently published a Brexit position paper on the issue of the Irish Border, which we summarised in a previous news article. Having had time to consider the paper, we’re publishing our response.

A practical resolution to the Irish border issue under Brexit has always been a major concern for the Industry.  Ireland has a huge significance in terms of trade and business and anything other than a virtually seamless border will have huge implications for many businesses on both sides of the border. On that basis, we welcome the fact that the Government has produced a paper that recognises the challenges that we and the rest of the industry have been highlighting for some time.

We welcome the fact that the paper acknowledges that the Irish situation is unique and will require an imaginative and flexible approach and we support that ambition and will look to work with the authorities to find those solutions.

However, it must be recognised this will have to be negotiated with the EU and requires the approval of all the EU27, so there is much to be done. We hope that this paper will act as a catalyst for these negotiations to progress as soon as possible so that at least one area of huge uncertainty for many businesses in the meat industry can be resolved and those businesses can start to plan for the future.