In the wake of the referendum result last month, IMTA held a meeting of members to determine a strategy as the Great Britain/European Union divorce proceedings loom.
It wants to determine what the exit will mean for IMTA members, lobby the British government more on the issue and help identify the challenges and opportunities of leaving the European Union.
IMTA director Liz Murphy identified tariffs as a key issue.
She said: “An area that is particularly unclear for us at the moment is what schedule of tariffs will be in place for imports to the UK post-Brexit. It is reported that a number of approaches have been made to the UK government regarding potential free trade agreements, including by New Zealand, Australia and South Korea. IMTA will be keen to be involved in any trade negotiations involving priority markets for the UK meat trade.”
IMTA’s post Brexit vote strategy agreed at the meeting includes:
• Establish the facts, rules and constraints of Brexit and what this might mean for IMTA members
• Engage with government/civil service and lobby for the best outcome for IMTA members
• Identify the challenges and opportunities
• Liaise and collaborate with other stakeholders (embassies, UK trade associations, international trade associations)
• Keep members informed by monitoring the political and economic situation as well as the lobbying positions of other organisations
• Understand and support individual companies and their unique challenges in light of the referendum result and
• Continue with business as usual while still within the EU.