Northern Ireland's dairy businesses could be 'killed off' if access to EU free trade agreements is denied post-Brexit, a committee of MPs have heard.
Dr Mike Johnston, Northern Ireland Director at Dairy UK and Tim Acheson, General Manager of Food Service Operations at Lakeland Dairies, gave evidence to the House of Commons' Northern Ireland Affairs Committee as part of an inquiry on the future of the land border on the island of Ireland.
Dr Johnston said: "We have an efficient, well-oiled system that works and delivers benefits to all dairy stakeholders north and south of the border.
"Dairy companies are focusing on seizing every opportunity available but the lingering uncertainty created by Brexit raises many concerns in terms of future investments and our ability to plan for the future."
Major impact
Mr Acheson said: "Many dairy companies have operations spanning all over the island of Ireland. Any disruption to the free movement of raw milk or dairy products would have a major impact on dairy processors and dairy farmers while jeopardising our efficiency and our competitiveness.”
Dr Johnston also highlighted the key role of exports and trade for the Northern Ireland dairy industry.
"Dairy exports to EU and non-EU countries are vital to our industry. Post-Brexit, we will need to be competitive not only with non-EU countries but also with our EU partners to gain access to new exports markets.
"We need a joined-up game plan between industry and Government to identify, target and secure new markets for dairy exports.
"We have tremendous potential to grow and we will focus on fostering collaboration throughout the supply chain and with Government and Parliament to achieve our goals."
Barclay Bell, president of the Ulster Farmers Union, told the committee that the border 'is a big, big issue when you consider the amount of cross-border trade.'
"Anything that would complicate or hinder that trade certainly would be a big big challenge to the industry in Northern Ireland," he warned.
