Sheep sector gives cautious welcome to latest Brexit deal

Sheep farmers have given the proposed Brexit deal which is set to go before Parliament today a cautious “thumbs up” – but, here too, concerns have been raised with the situation in Northern Ireland.

Acknowledging there was still a way to go, the National Sheep Association yesterday welcomed the transition period which a deal would secure – allowing free trading with Europe at least until the end of 2020 while negotiations over an on-going Free Trade Agreement were conducted.

“NSA has said all along that if we are to leave the EU then the priority must be to maintain continuous and friction-free access to the market for UK sheepmeat into Europe” said NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker.

However he conceded that there was still uncertainty for producers in Northern Ireland where the organisation’s development officer, Edward Adamson, yesterday said that in some ways the current deal appeared worse for the industry than Theresa May’s deal:

“The red line in the Irish Sea is not going down well and without DUP support the deal is unlikely to get through Parliament.

“However, while the deal is not ideal it would at least be better for sheep farmers in Northern Ireland than crashing out with nodeal.”

∎ Scotland’s regional chairman of the NSA, Jen Craig this week called on sheep farmers to be cautious over the £160 million of convergence cash promised by Prime Minister Boris Johnston.

With its method of distribution already a source of controversy, Craig said: “Whilst the decision to repatriate the money to Scotland is most welcome, I would urge caution in the face of what seems to be a developing tension within the industry.”