Sinn Fin MLA Declan McAleer has emphasised the ongoing need for direct dialogue between the EU institutions and local representatives.<\/p>\n
There is a need for this, he believes, to navigate the post-Brexit agricultural world in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
He was speaking after participating in a roundtable event in the EU Parliament where MLAs from the main parties engaged with MEPs, Ambassadors, the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels andvice-president of the European CommissionMaros Sefcovic.<\/p>\n
The Tory-imposed Brexit is having a hugely negative impact on farms, small businesses and wider society here in the north, he said.<\/p>\n
I therefore welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with the EU commission and MEPs to highlight some of these issues.<\/p>\n
There were frank and constructive exchanges between MEPs, MLAs and the Commission and I took the opportunity to highlight how the loss of the EU Rural Development Programme and the uncertainty over the future of the Single Farm Payment was having a negative impact on rural communities, he said.<\/p>\n
McAleer said that he also highlighted the impact of post-Brexit Home Office immigration rules. The MLA said they were having a very damaging impact on the agrifood sector in accessing workers.<\/p>\n
I also highlighted concerns that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is currently going through the House of Lords, could undermine our access to the EU market, he added.<\/p>\n
Given that the north has access to the EU single market, EU legislation and standards apply here across a range of areas, therefore it is important that elected representatives from the north and other sectoral interests are heard.<\/p>\n
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Impact of Brexit on NI ag sector highlighted with EU Commission - Agriland<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sinn Fin MLA Declan McAleer has emphasised the ongoing need for direct dialogue between the EU institutions and local representatives. There is a need for this, he believes, to navigate the post-Brexit agricultural world in Northern Ireland Continue reading