The SFA has continued to track Brexit developments closely over the summer months, in particular the position papers published by the UK Government.

On 12 September, Linda Barry, SFA Assistant Director, met with a team from Copenhagen Economics, the international economic consultancy engaged by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to study the main general and sectoral impacts of Brexit on the Irish economy under different exit scenarios and devise policy solutions.

The main priority from the SFA perspective was to convey the scale of the potential impact of Brexit on small firms – both those who export directly to the UK and those that would be the subject of ‘second order’ impacts due to the nature of their supply chains. Linda also raised other issues that had been highlighted by members, including the free movement of workers and customers across the border with Northern Ireland and the capacity constraints in small firms when it comes to customs, logistics and market/product diversification.

The SFA made a strong case for the Government to act now to support the exporting sectors, which are already under threat from the exchange rate movements, and to introduce measures to make Ireland more cost competitive and tax competitive.

The SFA would encourage all firms to assess the potential impact of Brexit on their business using the SFA Brexit Toolkit. For additional guidance, or to share your views on Brexit, contact Linda Barry, SFA Assistant Director, on 01 605 1626 or linda.barry@sfa.ie.