2 weeks Ago
TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said that the 10% difference in tariff rates on both sides of the Irish border will mean a “real challenge” for trade on the island. Donald Trump implemented a 10% tariff on the UK, and double that in the EU, as part of his so-called . These tariffs don’t take effect until 9 April.
If the EU announces retaliatory measures, it could have an impact on goods coming into Northern Ireland from the US as it still follows EU trading rules due to the post-Brexit Windsor Framework. Harris said this will mean “huge complexities” for some in the food sector with “two different realities” taking effect for businesses on the island of Ireland. This could also impact on goods produced in the south which are moved north before being shipped to the US, Harris warned.
Harris, who is also Trade Minister, has also said that there will be “benefits for Northern Ireland too” as the region will be in the unique position of having tariff-free access to the EU and Britain – and a lower tariff rate than the EU nations. And Harris said there will be a “lot of work going on in real time to tease through this” before it kicks in six days from now. “It’s a real challenge here and this does seem like a bit of a throwback to Brexit, that there will be two different realities on the island of Ireland,” Harris told RTÉ Radio One’s Claire Byrne programme.
He said the likes of the dairy sector could face “huge complexities” in trying to navigate the levies, as products that go “out from the North could be listed as coming from the south” when passing through customs for the US market. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon has also admitted that the 10% difference in tariffs will pose significant problems for farmers. “That’s not an ideal situation, but in particular, for the island of Ireland, having different tariff rates on both sides of border is not ideal,” Heydon told RTÉ Prime Time last night.
“It’s something we’ll have to work through and we’ll work through all of these discussions and negotiations by agreements. These disputes always end in agreement.” He added that he spoke with the North’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and its economy minister Caoimhe Archibald yesterday.
“It doesn’t kick in until the 9th so there will be a period of days where this is being worked through, north, south, east and west,” Harris said. Archibald has said that it was crucial to keep the North’s “unique circumstances in mind” during trade negotiations and to “minimise divergence” between Britain and the EU in the response for counter-measures. Speaking on Thursday morning at a NI Chamber conference in Ballymena, Co Antrim, the Sinn Féin MLA highlighted uncertainty and apprehension around the world at the tariffs being imposed by the Trump administration.
She said: “The announcements made last night are deeply regrettable. A trade war will only fuel inflation and risk recession.”.
