Ireland: Whether it’s millions of litres of milk, artisan gin, traditional soda bread or even a favourite chicken dish, Ireland is by far the biggest and most important export market for many of Northern Ireland’s leading food and drink producers.
Brexit could turn this market on its head if a hard border or new customs arrangements come into play and this prospect is forcing some of the North’s biggest agri-food producers and suppliers to start planning for a worst-case scenario.
So they need to start getting ready, says Neil Gibson, chief economist with EY Ireland. “Though businesses crave certainty, the truth is that most are used to dealing with an uncertain world. Regulations, exchange rates, customer trends, competitor behaviour always generate uncertainty so perhaps the lack of economic collapse in the face of ambiguity surrounding Brexit should not be a surprise.
