The House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, to highlight concerns about the potential effect that any US tariffs could have on the operation of the Windsor Framework.
To aid the parliamentary scrutiny of the issue, the committee has asked for the government’s initial assessment of the effects of the tariffs on Northern Ireland.
President Trump had previously announced that the UK tariffs rate would be 10% while the EU’s rate would be 20%. However he has subsequently announced a 90-day pause on the higher rate of tariffs on imports to the US from the EU and other countries, except China.
The House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee had asked the government to provide an initial assessment of the impact in Northern Ireland of a range of possible scenarios including:
- If the EU decides to respond with tariffs of its own on imports from the US and the UK does not.
- If the UK responds with tariffs on US imports but the EU does not.
- If both the EU and the UK respond with tariffs on US imports but (A) at different levels or (B) with tariffs on different goods.
The committee said it would also be interested to know how the secretary intends to keep parliament updated as the situation develops.
Windsor Framework
The UK and EU had agreed the Windsor Framework in February 2023 which in turn delivered new arrangements on customs, agri-food, medicines, VAT and excise.
The Windsor Framework established an expanded an internal market scheme for goods staying in Northern Ireland with simplified procedures.
Goods which are considered at risk of moving into the EU single market – Ireland – must also move through a red lane, where full checks and controls are applied.
It also eased arrangements for supermarket products and enabled the same food to be available in NI supermarkets as in the rest of the UK, however EU animal and plant health rules still apply.
Under the Windsor Framework other procedures for moving plants and agricultural machinery from GB to NI were introduced and seed potatoes were no longer banned from being sent to Northern Ireland from GB.
NI Assembly
Separately last month a motion calling for greater female representation in NI’s agriculture sector received support from across the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Sinn Féin MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Áine Murphy had brought forward the motion, which highlighted the challenges faced by women in the agriculture sector.
She said: “Despite their invaluable contribution, women remain underrepresented in farm ownership, decision-making positions and leadership roles in the agri-food industry.
“Women face structural and cultural barriers that limit their full participation in agriculture.
“Daughters are often overlooked as potential inheritors of family farms, and without land ownership, women struggle to access the financial resources that are necessary to initiate, innovate, expand or even sustain their agriculture activities.”
Murphy told the assembly about her own farming background, and highlighted statistics from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs from 2022, which state that only 5% of registered principal farmers are women.
