Northern Ireland

Business community scathing of Brexit proposals

Business leaders in Northern Ireland say the news proposals as "unworkable". Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Business leaders in Northern Ireland say the news proposals as "unworkable". Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Business leaders in Northern Ireland say the news proposals as "unworkable". Picture by Margaret McLaughlin

BUSINESS leaders in Northern Ireland have slated Boris Johnston's Brexit proposals as "unworkable" and warned they could decimate the agri-food sector.

Trevor Lockhart, group chief executive at Fane Valley Co-op, an agri-food business based in Moira, Northern Ireland, said the interests of businesses in the region have been sacrificed.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "It's ultimately a balance between what works politically and what works economically.

"The UK backstop, for us, delivered economically but clearly didn't work politically, and in the pursuit of getting a political solution the interests of businesses in Northern Ireland to some extent have now been sacrificed.

"But it ultimately is important that we get a deal, because the threat of a no-deal to Northern Ireland businesses is the worst risk of all.

"So we hope that all parties will constructively engage around the proposals now presented.

"But as they currently stand, the Government proposals don't represent a final destination for Northern Ireland business."

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said he believed the prime minister's 'two borders' blueprint had ignored the concerns of his members while industry body Manufacturing NI said the proposals are "worse than no deal".

"These proposals are a complete non-starter...and would result in north to south tariffs which would cause huge negative impacts upon our farmers and the agri-food sector as a whole," Mr Roberts said.

"Furthermore, it would also mean two borders requiring renewal after four years, surveillance in border communities without their consent and checks north-south and west-east.

"Creating two borders is not a solution - we don't need any borders."

Manufacturing NI tweeted: "1% of our manufacturing firms are large businesses. The other 99% are SMEs (small and medium size enterprises). They have neither the capital or the capacity to handle these new complexities and associated costs.

"The Boris plan unveiled today means tariffs north to south meaning farms and agri-food will be decimated."

Ann McGregor, who heads up the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the plans were "not conducive to business growth, export and private sector employment".

"...Businesses are telling us that the potential increased costs will seriously damage business supply lines and indeed business survival," she said.

Meanwhile, policy chair of the Federation of Small Businesses for the north, Tina McKenzie, said the proposals fell "well short" of working for her members.

"Cross-border trade is a vital component of the Northern Ireland economy, with supply chains straddling the border - many cross-border transactions occur daily and are regarded simply as 'local' trade not 'export," she said.

Aodhán Michael Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, last night tweeted the plans were "unworkable and unpalatable".