SEAN KELLY: Brexit talks are about balance, not winners and losers

Brexit is the single greatest challenge facing Ireland, since the economic crisis of 2008, and it is particularly a challenge for Irish farmers.

The UK government’s vow, from the offset, to rule themselves out of both the customs union and the single market, has significantly narrowed our options for a post-Brexit arrangement. For Ireland, a country that will feel the effects of Brexit, particularly a hard Brexit, more than any other EU member state, this is worrying.

At this stage, we all know the figures: 600,000 Irish-born people live in Britain, 40% of our trade goes there, and 80% of all Irish exports pass through the British system.