At the Brexit information event run by Mullingar Chamber and InterTradeIreland in the Annebrook Hotel last Thursday. From left, Deirdre Maguire, Martin Nally, Tom Griffiths, Eimear Glennon, Michael Boyd, Julia Dalton, Pat Fannon, Johnny Tremlett, Felim O’Neill and Denise Marron.

Firms told to prepare for worst case scenario Brexit

Rodney Farry

Published: Tue 23 Jul 2019, 3:57 PM

The worse thing local businesses can do is stick their heads in the sand when it comes to preparing for Brexit.

That was the main message from the information event hosted by Mullingar Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with InterTradeIreland in the Annebrook Hotel on Thursday last.

A cross border body that for the last 20 years has been helping SMEs in Ireland and Northern Ireland explore new cross border markets, InterTradeIreland has spent much of the last two years helping businesses prepare for Brexit, if and when it arrives.

In addition to providing a range of free supports, such as Thursday's information, InterTradeIreland can provide businesses with financial support of up to €2250 to use towards funding professional advice on how to best prepare for Brexit, an event that is looking increasingly likely.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, InterTradeIreland's Denise Marron said that whether Britain departs the EU with a deal or not, Westmeath SME's have to prepare their firms as much as possible because whatever the outcome, it will have a major affect on economies on both sides of the border.

"What we are trying to do is encourage people to get prepared for Brexit. No matter what form Brexit takes there are going to be changes. We are urging companies to get the help they need to better prepare for Brexit post Ocotber or whenever it is.

"We have supports for companies and most are free. We also have a €2250 voucher, called the Brexit Voucher, for companies to use. We have a panel of service providers who are experts in their own right, whether it be supply chain, customs, tax, or logistics."

"We also have some webinars. We are adapting the programme as Brexit evolves. We also have online courses as well as a reference tool for companies. We have a tarrif data base as well so if there are potential tarrifs on your product, you can find out what that will be for free online."

Julia Dalton, CEO of Mullingar Chamber, says that the one thing that firms must not do is fail to prepare for Brexit.

"All you can is make sure that your business is as prepared as it possibly can be, whether it’s getting advice or training or help to prepare for the worst case scenario," she said.