THE head of a leading Northern Ireland food producer has warned that the local agri food sector is in "grave peril" if the Stormont impasse continues.
John McCann, managing director one of Ireland’s largest salad and vegetable producers Willowbrook Foods, has said he is considering establishing a base in the Republic due to the stress being placed on the sector due to the lack of a Northern Ireland Executive.
Willowbrook has been experiencing a steady period of growth, increasing its presence in both the Irish and UK markets and taking its first step into international export markets, but Mr McCann believes the sector is beginning to rapidly feel the effects of the political situation.
“From an agri food perspective, the lack of investment incentives and ongoing uncertainty is seriously hurting our sector. Exporting into the Republic of Ireland is a major part of our growth strategy and we are carefully considering establishing a southern presence in order to protect the future of our business.
“We can sit back and watch a thriving, hugely valuable industry begin to fail, or we can demand more from our political representatives. They must either hand over power to the civil service to make key decisions or immediately find a solution that will see our elected representatives return to power," Mr McCann said.
“We have worked hard to make Willowbrook Foods an attractive, stable place to work for people of all nationalities and I am hugely frustrated that our politicians’ stubbornness, alongside the impact of Brexit, risk making Northern Ireland a less appealing place to live and work,” he added.
