As discussed previously Irish ferry movements are almost entirely to the UK with the exception of a weekly sailing to France and Spain. This may well change after Brexit but still leaves Ireland with a problem of finding alternative markets for agricultural products for which the UK provides the dominant share. Also the high level of import protection of the common market has led to a rise in prices of basic agricultural products far above the level of prices on the world market. This adds further difficulty to finding alternative markets outside the EU for Ireland, and also explains why the UK could cut deals to reduce food prices.A definite plus for brexit.

Also Irish threats about airspace could be immediately countered by impeding irish trucking.Dublin’s strategic problem is that London’s hard-line approach to leaving the EU and its customs union is now exploding Britain’s status as a reliable commercial land bridge. Irish food merchants and hauliers are being confronted with the prospect of journey times tripling and painful logjams for customs clearance in ill-equipped ports that will prove lethal to their profit margins.