As Independent.ie writes, Britain is now far less important to Irish importers and exporters than it was before Brexit, figures show.

A report by the Economic and Social Research Institute has found that goods from England, Scotland and Wales now make up just 7.2pc of total Irish imports, down from 23.2pc in 2015, and 6.3pc of total Irish exports, down from 10.9pc in 2015.

The shift is due to Brexit, not Covid, the ESRI said.

Trade patterns on the island of Ireland have also shifted dramatically since the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Between 2015 and February this year, Northern Ireland’s share of Ireland’s UK imports has increased more than sixfold, while it has almost doubled its share of total Irish exports to the wider UK.

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According to the Irish Exporters Association, the ESRI report which said the economy could shrink by at least 7.1% this year is a stark warning of what is to come.

The association repeated its call for the Government to begin preparations to kickstart the economy in the aftermath of Covid-19.

Irish Exporters Association chief executive Simon McKeever said: “In a letter to An Taoiseach last week, the Irish Exporters Association called for the Government to establish a Cabinet sub-committee led by senior ministers that would form a national strategy to restart the economy in the aftermath of Covid-19.

For more click the story from the Irish Examiner here.