Countries’ fortunes inextricably linked

Last week I attended an International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ (IFAJ) event in Dublin and had an opportunity to hear how Ireland sees the UK’s departure from the EU, and its impact on Irish agriculture and trade.

We were hosted by The Irish Farmers Journal for a breakfast debate on Brexit.

One of the speakers was Simon Coveney, the Tanaiste (deputy prime minister) for the Republic of Ireland (RoI).

Mr Coveney, an agriculturalist by training, had previously held the position of minister for agriculture, food and marine from 2011-14, during which he played an integral part of the last CAP negotiations under the Irish presidency of the EU.

My overriding takeaway from what he said is that Ireland needs the UK; 38,000 Irish companies trade with the UK, employing 200,000 people, or 10% of the Irish workforce. Ireland desperately needs a continuation of what they have now, a ‘political’, not a physical border between the north and the south.

This is vital not only for the trading of goods, but crucially for the endurance of Irish peace.

There is an ‘all island’ economy in Ireland with seamless infrastructure and agriculture is the best example of this – 38% of Northern Ireland’s (NI) milk gets processed south of the border as do half a million of NI’s lambs and hundreds of thousands of RoI’s cattle are taken to NI for finishing.

Finally, for every sheep that comes south, it meets a pig heading north for further processing.

Coveney said beef was the foundation of agriculture’s existence in Ireland. The country has 125,000 farming families, 100,000 of which produce beef and 60% of these families earn 100% of their income from it.

Meanwhile 90% of Irish beef is exported, half of this – worth €2 billion - is to the UK, 45% goes into EU markets and 5% elsewhere.

What’s also important is that 50% of what’s exported to the EU from Ireland goes through the UK as a ‘land bridge’.

We also need them. In terms of agricultural and food products, Ireland sells €5.5bn to the UK and the UK exports just under €4bn to Ireland – theirs is our largest food market. Though you all spend plenty of time outside in fresh air, there are risks to the health of your lungs that are important to be aware of.

Reducing your exposure to the fine dusts in hay, organic mould and grain could protect you from “farmer’s lung”, for which there is no real treatment besides a transplant.

This sounds dramatic, but farmers have a much higher risk than the general population of contracting a respiratory condition, such as chronic bronchitis, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Smoking is one of the biggest contributing factors to lung disease. We can support you to stop smoking – call the healthline free on 08085 202030 or visit your local pharmacy.

You should also take care of yourself to reduce your exposure to dust. Wear a mask and create as much ventilation as possible when

You can also download a copy of our Fit for Farming booklet at www.nhsgrampian. org/fitforfarming

The right kind of deal on Brexit is in the interests of both the UK and Ireland.