While farming leaders in London and Edinburgh welcomed the announcement, they still voiced concerns over how the agreement will work in practice, particularly in relation to future trade arrangements.
Remaining doubts over the future state of the Irish border also drew a strong comment from the Republic of Ireland’s deputy prime minister Simon Coveney, who told the Irish parliament there will be no formal Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and UK if the Irish border issue is not resolved.
While UK and EU politicians in Brussels announced their united agreement of a Brexit transitional period running from March 29 2019 to December 2020, with great personal satisfaction, the reaction elsewhere was less enthusiastic.
“A pertinent question is what trading arrangements will apply between the UK and EU both during transition and in the short-to-medium term after December 2020 until new free-trade deals are ratified,” National Farmers Union Scotland policy director Jonnie Hall said.
“It is vital that unfettered and frictionless trade with the EU is maintained during this time via a customs union which protects Scottish producers from non-tariff barriers and being undercut by imported produce. A cliff-edge scenario is simply not an option for Scottish food producers nor the UK consumers which they produce for.”
England and Wales NFU president Minette Batters, while giving the agreement a cautious welcome, said “There is still outstanding vital information which food and farming businesses need to understand.
“The NFU has long called for frictionless trade with the EU, free of tariffs and non-tariff barriers.
“As our largest trading partner – over 70% of our exports of food and non-alcoholic drinks being sent to EU markets – access to the EU must be a top priority.”
During the earlier unveiling of the transition deal, the UK’s lead negotiator, David Davies, said the new agreement is not only about providing certainty in the short term but also about beginning life outside the EU.
“The UK will be able to step out, sign and ratify new trade deals with old friends and new allies around the globe for the first time in more than 40 years,” he said.
However, though the UK will be free to negotiate and sign trade deals during the 21-month transition period, Davies also announced that no such new deals will be allowed to actually come into commercial force until after December 2020.
As for the still unresolved Irish border issue, he said “While there is as yet no agreement on the right operational approach, we know what we need to do and we’re going to get on with it.”
EU lead negotiator Michel Barnier said “We are ready to look at all options which allow us to meet our objectives, in a constructive way.”
All that was before Coveney told his Irish colleagues there would be no UK Withdrawal Agreement unless the Irish border issue is resolved.
