Brexit border dilemma for Northern Ireland
Sealing the border would create major difficulties for an estimated 30,000 Irish people working in Northern Ireland.
The North’s Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen said: “The outcome of the referendum vote will undoubtedly cause change for farmers and processors within Northern Ireland.
“For now it is very much business as usual.
“I want to see an arrangement where our local companies have a free trade agreement that allows them to continue to access markets in Europe that they are currently supplying.”
Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said: “The Executive has received assurances from the prime minister that Northern Ireland will be given its place in future talks which commence later this year.”
Before the Brexit vote, EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan had warned of the harm to cross-border dealings in Ireland, saying any form of border could seriously disrupt trade in agri-food products, notably the daily flow of livestock.
He also warned that many Northern Irish farms would struggle or fail without EU support.
