Irish port CREDIT Neil Tackaberry

Britain is Ireland's biggest trading partner Image credit Flickr/Neil Tackaberry 

A new trade ‘gateway’ between Britain and Ireland could help fresh produce firms maintain links and business between the two islands post Brexit.

Dubbed ‘Big: British Irish Gateway for Trade’ (BIG), the new service is free to use and will cement links between trade bodies, business organisations and Chambers of Commerce across Britain and Ireland.

“At a time when businesses are preparing for Brexit, they appreciate a resource like BIG which helps them to grow their business by being introduced to more customers and suppliers across the UK and Ireland,” said John McGrane of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce.

“2017 will focus all our minds on the importance of the trade between Britain and Ireland which supports over 400,000 jobs. Firms on both sides of the Irish Sea are looking for more trading opportunities and this new service supports the work of Chambers and the various state agencies to make those connections easier to find for businesses north south east and west.”

The new service, which is backed by the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and other business organisations, is now open for registration at www.bigconnections.org.