One of the latest blows to Irish agriculture has been the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2020. This decision, known as Brexit, led to political, social, and economic change felt all across Europe and the rest of the world, changes that still have effects and consequences today.

The idea of Britain leaving the European Union has been floating around parliament since 2013 when Prime Minister David Cameron proposed the options of “remain” or “leave”. The side of “remain” held the majority until 2016, when a refugee crisis started to sway voters towards the “leave” side. A decision was made on February 1st, 2020, and was followed by a transition period that allowed for an orderly exit for the UK. That transition period ended on December 31st, 2020. The UK has since lost the rights and benefits it had as a European Union Member, meaning it is no longer a part of the European Union’s Single Market and Customs Union nor is it covered by the European Union’s international agreements. The decision to leave has affected trade and labor, ending the free movement of labor.

The break has affected many aspects of English and European agriculture. Now that the split has delayed the transportation of goods and the amount of available labor, resulting in blows to an already globally struggling industry. The UK pig sector, for example, had been hit particularly hard in the first months since the transition period ended. Difficulties exporting goods to the European continent and Northern Ireland led to major economic loss due to the loss of products during waiting periods. Due to the split, feed, and straw prices were skyrocketing, furthering the loss of income to these farms. Grain importation went a little smoother initially, but potential issues arose with exporting processed products. Another issue, as previously mentioned, was labor. With the free movement of labor ended the food and farming sectors were facing a serious challenge in sourcing labor. This led to overworked people being severely underpaid.

This led to a blow to agriculture all over the EU, including Ireland. Brexit has made frictionless trade between the European Union and the UK impossible due to the UK’s withdrawal from the Single Market system. While much has been done to minimize the impact of Brexit on Irish businesses and citizens through the Protocol, especially the relationship between Ireland and Northern Ireland, some consequences can’t be avoided. European Union consumer protection legislation may no longer apply when buying products from the UK. Instead, consumer rights are set down in UK law. Businesses importing or exporting goods to the UK now need to register for Customs. However, people born in Northern Ireland who retain their right to be Irish citizens will also retain their European Union citizenship so they still have the right to live, work and study in a European Union country without a visa or a time limit. There are no passport controls in operation for Irish and UK citizens traveling into either country. Goods moving between Ireland and Northern Ireland will not have any customs, tariffs, or other restrictions placed on them, and goods moving from Northern Ireland to another part of the UK and vice versa now require additional paperwork and checks.

Sources:

European Commission. “The Impact of Brexit on Ireland.” Ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu, ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu/strategy-and-priorities/key-eu-policies-ireland/impact-brexit-ireland_en.
Farmers Guide. “Brexit Deal: How Are Farmers Affected?” Farmers Guide, 27 Jan. 2021, www.farmersguide.co.uk/brexit-deal-how-are-farmers-affected/.
Mueller, Benjamin, and Peter Robins. “What Is Brexit? And What Happens Next?” The New York Times, 12 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/article/brexit-uk-eu-explained.html.