CSO report: Brexit to strain Anglo-Irish ties

A 52-page report by the CSO has for the first time detailed the depth of the economic and social links binding the economies of Ireland and Britain — ties which could be under threat if the UK pursues its hard Brexit line in its looming divorce talks with Brussels.

The report Brexit: Ireland and the UK in Numbers also underscores the economic significance of a number of Irish labour-intensive industries, such as meat and meat preparations and energy products, which dominate exports and imports across the Irish Sea.

Meat products, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, perfumes and cleansing products and dairy goods feature on the ‘top five’ list of goods exported to Britain, with the UK buying a total of €15.6bn of Irish goods, accounting for almost 14% of all Irish goods exported last year around the world, according to the report.