What now of north/south co-operation? asks Allister
19 September 2009
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister
“The unilateral action by the National Dairy Council (NDC) in Dublin to promote preferentially milk and cream farmed in the Republic, and expressly excluding produce from Northern Ireland processed there, raises fundamental questions about the Republic’s supposed commitment to and promotion of cross-border trade. It is a patent attempt to damage Northern Ireland’s important milk export business with the Republic and the intended damage will increase when, as planned, yoghurt and cheese is included in NDC’s scheme.
“While in Northern Ireland we have a Minister and Department besotted with the all-island vision and opposed to overt promotion and labelling of Northern Ireland produce, in the Republic the authorities are pointedly promoting their own produce, even to the point of excluding milk which is processed there but originated north of the border. How does any of this sit with the supposed activities and ethos of bodies such as ‘Intertrade Ireland’, set up by the two governments for supposed mutual gain? Intertrade Ireland, which the Northern Ireland taxpayer is partly funding, boasts of programmes to promote new cross-border business opportunities, yet here we have the Republic pursuing its ‘ourselves alone’ agenda.
“Also, we have EU money going through Interreg IVA Priority 2 supposedly for cross-border business and rural development projects, while the NDC Chief Executive, in launching her unilateral action urged consumers “to select products which contribute to our own tax returns, which contribute to our own economy, and which also contribute to our own communities”. Understandable sentiments at one level, but then please spare us all the platitudes from the Republic about wanting to maximize co-operation with Northern Ireland.
“My expectation of our DARD Minister on this matter is not high, but I do ask what is DETI doing to counter-balance this assault on our milk exports? We can’t allow ourselves to be taken for fools, strung along on the clichés of north/south co-operation but then hung out to dry in the Republic’s market place.”
