Sinn Féin Agriculture and Food spokesperson Brian Stanley TD has described the British Governments ‘custom posts’ proposal on the border as a policy which would bring the entire Irish agricultural sector North and South to a standstill.

The Laois-Offaly TD has called for the Irish Government to reject the proposal and to ensure that there are no internal border checks for the Agri-food sector on the island of Ireland.

Speaking this afternoon, Deputy Stanley said:

“The proposal put forward by the British Government to the EU for custom posts along the border is fantasy stuff.

“It is completely unworkable with regards to agriculture and food and it must be flatly rejected.

“We have companies which operate in both the North and the South and any attempt to erect a hard border on the island will be unacceptable.

“Such conditions would bring the agri-food sector to a halt.

“The British Government needs to understand that we already have a border which runs along the Irish coast.

“Sinn Féin and the people who we represent in the Agri-food sector will not accept the creation of what is essentially a second hard border on the island which would place unnecessary and arduous conditions upon the Irish agricultural and food sector.

“What we need is for the Irish Government to continue to put pressure on the EU and on Britain to ensure that there are no border checks on the island of Ireland regarding food and animals.”