‘There’s no good news for anybody in Brexit’ - Boss of Irish dairy firm delivers warning
Cows are milked at a UK dairy farm. Photograph: Danny Lawsom/PA. - Credit: PA
The boss of one of the biggest Irish dairy co-operatives operating in both Ireland and Northern Ireland has delivered a stark warning on Brexit, claiming that there is 'no news for anybody' with the UK's departure from the EU.
Michael Hanley, the chief executive of Lakeland Dairies, was speaking to AgriLand about what the UK's withdrawal from the trading bloc will mean for his business.
'We've been living with [Brexit] for four years. We have 60% of our milk in Northern Ireland…so Brexit is very, very important for us,' he explained.
'There's a lot of discussion [between the EU and the UK] to take place over the next six to eight weeks, but the devil will be in the detail. We're looking for unfettered access for our products, that have always gone into Britain from Northern Ireland.
The business, which deals with 3,200 suppliers and is Ireland's second largest dairy co-operative, stressed the referendum result delivered no tangible benefits for the firm.
He said: 'Brexit is not good news.
You may also want to watch:
'There is no good news for anybody in Brexit, so the consequences are that there is less return from the market and there is an extra cost of doing business'.
He explained: 'There will be an extra cost in doing business – administration, compliance, etc – and we can live with that. But tariffs will stop business; the margins aren't adequate to pay tariffs and continue to do business.'
Most Read
- 1 Pro-Brexit fishing campaigner says Boris Johnson's deal has left her with 'no fish'
- 2 Nigel Farage reminded of claim that 'acid test of Brexit' surrounds fishing after clip resurfaces
- 3 European parliament agrees to add British overseas territories to post-Brexit tax haven blacklist
- 4 Ed Miliband mocks Kwasi Kwarteng's 'road to Damascus conversion'
- 5 Telegraph columnist blames Angela Merkel for Brexit
- 6 Piers Morgan causes hilarity with 'Priti Patel with a brain' jibe
- 7 Brussels to launch campaign teaching younger Britons about the EU
- 8 Backlash over Tory MP receiving Covid-19 vaccine despite not being classed as vulnerable
- 9 Boris Johnson to visit Scotland this week in attempt to shore up the union
- 10 SNP MP asks Priti Patel why she has not stood down following UK border comments
But Hanley suggested having a footprint on both sides of the Irish border provided some help.
'The fact that we have footprints in Northern Ireland and southern Ireland, we will be able to 'mix and match', and take as much benefit as possible out of whatever the situation is, and minimise the costs and the negatives that will come out of Brexit, regardless of how 'soft' the final Brexit deal actually is'.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
