Bernie’s upbeat on the challenge

SOME 84% of her company’s products are exported to the UK but far from sitting back and worrying about Brexit, Bernie Butler of Good4U which employs 43, is on a positive journey.

Her business, wholly owned by the Butler family has a plant in Tyrone and its headquarters in Sligo.

On the day the Brexit vote was carried she sat down and thought out new strategies. Some 52% of the company’s raw materials were also being imported from the UK.

Ms Butler said she began to source potential suppliers from outside the UK and also looked to expand its international markets. the latter being fast tracked.

And, despite Brexit, sales by the food company had risen by 28% in the UK with new markets opened up with supermarkets such as ASDA and TESCO.

MEP Mairead McGuinness said any Irish issues arising from Brexit were also European issues and every effort will be made to address those.

“We are very much into an area not seen beforeand the timeframe is short for the delivery of the divorce settlement as it were.

“Things will change and we will try to ensure that there is no sharp, severe impact on our country.

“Issues with Brexit will be resolved in a European context,” she said.

Earlier, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny met with campaigners who wish to see the CF drug orkambi sanctioned on a wide scale on his arrival at The Sligo Park Hotel.

The group had held a candlelit vigil in advance of Mr Kenny’s arrival in freezing temperatures for over an hour.

Amongst the group was a mother from Longford who was with her daughter, ( pic- tured above) a CF sufferer, and who was just two weeks out of Crumlin hospital and who may need a lung transplant. She spent eight months in hospital last year, her mother told the Taoiseach.

Mr Kenny spoke of the revised offer the HSE had made to the drug company involved and hoped for a positive outcome on this during this week.

He undertook to communicate in the matter with local campaigner Aisling Golden whose sister, Gráinne passed away aged 21 in February 2016 having battled CF.

Tony McLoughlin TD, Bernie Butler, Good4U, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, Aaron Forde, CEO Aurivo Cooperative and Joe Dolan, Hotels federation of Ireland, guest speakers at the Brexit meeting in The Sligo Park Hotel last Friday evening. Pics: Carl Brennan.

Clr. Sinead Maguire, Tony McLoughlin TD, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, Mairead McGuinness MEP, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Clr. Hubert Keaney, Clr. Dara Mulvey and Bartley Gavin, Sligo County Council pictured with the European Year of...