Sir, – John FitzGerald is right to raise the serious prospect of major trade disruption if the UK opts to leave the customs union ("Disruption to hit shops if UK leaves customs union", Business Opinion, November 4th). Such a decision would also seriously complicate the withdrawal negotiations.
A further key point generally overlooked in discussions about a non-member state’s participation in the EU’s customs union – or indeed the single market – is that neither provides for free trade in agricultural goods.
Such trade is generally regulated separately, and no non-member state has to date managed to secure unlimited tariff-free access to the EU market for its agricultural exports. And no non-member state has secured participation in the Common Agricultural Policy either.
Irrespective of whether a post-Brexit UK remains in the customs union or not, the future for many agricultural producers trading cross-Border, either north-south or east-west, appears set to be one of tariffs and quotas. – Yours, etc,
DAVID PHINNEMORE,
Moira,
Co Down.