‘NO ROOM FOR ANY DEGREE OF COMPLACENCY’
THE UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU has sent shockwaves through the Wicklow farming community with the local branch of the ICMSA warning that it will have serious implications for all sectors, including the agri-food sector.
According to Wicklow ICMSA chairperson Shane O’Loughlin, a clear plan must be put in place to address the many issues that are likely to arise when the Brexit is finally negotiated with the EU. Following a meeting with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Mr O’Loughlin said that ‘ there is no room for any degree of complacency from here forwards, not in the context of €5 billion in food exports to the UK – €1.1 billion is beef and €1 billion is dairy produce’. He said that in the short term, the implications are likely to focus on exchange rate movements and both the Irish Government and the EU must understand that farmers cannot be expected to pay for any negative currency movements arising from the Brexit vote.
‘Brexit will have practical implications at farm level, for processors in terms of trade to the UK and also transit of products to continental Europe. It becomes a national priority to ensure that as Brexit negotiations begin and develop that access to the UK market is retained on the basis of current conditions and that Ireland’s dependence on the UK market is recognised and addressed.’
Speaking as a farmer, I’d respectfully caution Minister Creed against getting the interests of ‘ the dairy sector’ mixed up with those of ‘dairy farmers’; the links further up the supply chain are doing very well out of the current price crisis while the farmers – have now gone a full year earning no income whatsoever from their herds.’
(Deborah Coleman) GAME OF THRONES is unlikely to make its way south of the wall following Brexit, according to makers HBO.
The TV programme, having just finished its seventh series, has been primarily filmed in Northern Ireland.
Other locations include Spain, Croatia, Malta, Iceland and Morocco. Some speculation followed Friday’s referendum result, that an exit from the EU could spell good news for Wicklow’s film studios in Bray and Ashford.
One of the worries was that the production would suffer from a loss of EU funding.
However HBO released a statement which announced that the result will have no material effect on production.
The network said that while the series received financial support from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund when it first began, there has been no contribution to the programme in recent years.
NI Screen has confirmed that its funding will remain in place following the vote.
The budget per episode of Game of Thrones is $10 million.
(Mary Fogarty)