Implications of British exit from the EU for the Irish agri-food sector

Whether the UK should hold a referendum on continued membership of the European Union (EU) is one of the issues in its general election to be held in May 2015. A possible British withdrawal, or Brexit, would have profound implications for Ireland and particularly for its agri-food sector, given the extensive trade links between the two economies and the role played by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. This paper examines the consequences of a possible Brexit for the Irish agri-food sector. Much would depend on the nature of the trade arrangements that would be put in place between the UK and the EU following Brexit, and the paper contains an extensive discussion of the various options. The paper concludes that Brexit would be unambiguously negative from the perspective of both Irish producers and consumers, and recommends various ways in which the inevitable disruption might be minimised.