ALMOST every sector of the economy is in jeopardy over Brexit, with farmers, and exporters, expected to be hit the hardest, the Fianna Fail national youth conference in Limerick has heard.
As hundreds of Ogra Fianna Fail gathered at the South Court hotel to hear from Michael Martin speak, local TD and spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Deputy Niall Collins said that it was clear from discussions that the challenges Ireland will face as a result of Brexit are going to be huge.
“The significant drop in the value of sterling has already causes major problems for our export-focused farmers.
“In Limerick, many businesses rely on exports to the UK. If Britain opts for a so-called hard Brexit, we could be looking at tariffs and import tariffs, if applied to goods coming from Ireland, will make us significantly less competitive than UK-based competitors.”
Locally, Deputy Collins said that “mushroom producers have gone out of business because their margins have eviscerated due to the collapse in sterling.
“The response so far from the Government has been weak at best.
Last weekend’s conference also heard from the Limerick Chamber of Commerce who aired the views and concerns of its members surrounding Brexit.
“It’s clear that businesses in the Mid West are very worried about Brexit”, concluded Collins as Government was urged to “do more”.
