Warning that producers in both countries could suffer heavily in the future as a result of a Brexit and a FTA-driven move towards least-cost production, Kent said farmers in Ireland and NZ had a lot in common and needed to co-operate to secure the best deal possible for their respective industries going forward.
“Brexit is already being used to pull down farm prices, particularly for beef, and as farmers we’ve got to work together to change that,” he said.
“Farming in both Ireland and NZ is run on a clean environmental basis, without the use of a lot of chemicals, and we should be making use of this fact by aiming for higher-quality output and higher prices to go with it, rather than just chasing increased output.”
Kent’s comments run in direct opposition to the Irish government’s Food Wise 2025 expansion strategy, which centres on boosting Ireland’s agricultural output to meet a targeted 85% growth in agri-food exports over the next eight years.
Instead of driving for such growth, however, ICSA wants farmers in Ireland, the EU and NZ to co-operate in refusing to produce too much food; concentrating instead on marketing what they do produce more efficiently than has been the case in the past.
“We shouldn‘t increase production merely to keep our respective Ministers of Agriculture happy,” Kent said.
“Irish farmers have a lot of reasons to be concerned about the post-Brexit future of both UK and EU agri-food outlets, and also about the UK doing its own trade deals internationally.
“This could result in South American beef and NZ lamb and dairy flooding into the UK and decimating our current trade.
“As farmers, we should be working together on these issues, discussing the direction the industry is taking in both countries and exercising better control over our future.”
