Brexit and Irish Economy

choi

Brexit and Irish economy l From Farm to Pharma; Why at least one EU member outside Britain is praying for a soft Brexit.  Apr 6, 2017.
http://www.economist.com/news/fi ... d-be-worst-hit-hard

Note:
(1) The "pharma" is short for pharmacology, which in this article is an epitome for a hi-tech firm (most likely foreign-owned) -- or the opposite of food industry, Ireland's traditional industry (which, about dairy products, one may says is in fact an outgrowth of agriculture; very true).

(2) "IN 1962 Tony O'Reilly, head of the Irish Dairy Board * * * create[d] a premium brand for Irish butter to break into the growing British market. The new product, named Kerrygold * * * was sold in half-pound packs in a parchment wrapping so shoppers could inspect the butter's quality."
(a)
(i) Ornua
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornua
("Ornua (previously known as The Irish Dairy Board) is an Irish agri-food co-operative/ Government of Ireland founded in 1961")
(ii) Alison Healy, Irish Dairy Board Votes to Change Name to Ornua; New name means 'new gold.' Irish Times, Feb 24, 2015
www.irishtimes.com/business/iris ... -to-ornua-1.2114668
("The name comes from the the Irish for gold 'ór' and new 'nua.'  The Irish Dairy Board, which is owned by Irish dairy processors, is the State's largest exporter of dairy products. Its portfolio of butter and cheese brands includes Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrims' Choice, Beo and Mu")
(iii) Irish language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language
(also referred to as Gaelic or Irish Gaelic)
(b) County Kerry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Kerry
("is named after the Ciarraige [a people found in early medieval Ireland] * * * Kerry, with its mountains, lakes and Atlantic coastline is among the most scenic areas in Ireland and is among the most significant tourist destinations in Ireland")

(3) "Half a century on, the Irish economy has been transformed into a global trading hub. * * * Observers speak of a dual economy: a 'modern' capital-intensive part, powered by foreign direct investment (FDI), usually from America; and a 'traditional' jobs-intensive [creating and maintaining many jobs] food business, which still looks to the British market. The prospect of Brexit is pulling these two parts of the economy in opposing directions.  For decades Ireland has appealed to foreign companies as a low-tax, English-speaking entry point to Europe's single market. Brexit, in effect, removes a big rival [UK, which speaks English; I do not know whether UK is low-tax -- probably not] for such mobile capital [money, not city as capital]. Since Britain voted to leave the EU, there has been a 'significant increase in inquiries' from firms [banks and insurance companies based in London] considering a move to Ireland * * * Many tech firms have chosen Ireland for their European headquarters [such as LinkedIn and Huawei; these stay in Ireland].

(4) "Ireland's indigenous industries have correspondingly shrunk in importance [in the past half century]. When sales of Kerrygold took off in the 1960s, almost three-quarters of Irish goods exports went to Britain. Now just 13% do, a share that rises to 17% including services (see chart). & && Ireland is just one link in a global-tech supply chain: only a fraction of the value added to exports originates there. In contrast, the local content of Ireland's food exports to Britain is high* * * Half of Ireland's farm exports go to Britain and some would face tariffs of almost 60% in the event of a 'cliff-edge' Brexit, in which trade reverts to WTO rules. Ireland's exporters to Europe rely on Britain as a land-bridge, because shipping goods to the continent is more troublesome than carrying them by lorry."
(a) Last sentence first.
(i) For lorry, see truck
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck
("A truck (United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Pakistan; also called a lorry in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, and India)")
(ii) land bridge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_bridge
(section 1 Prominent examples)
(iii) "Britain as a land-bridge" means Irish exports to UK and (some) onward to European continent through Channel Tunnel (owned by Eurotunnel; 50km or 31mi; opened in 1994).
(b) "When sales of Kerrygold took off in the 1960s, almost three-quarters of Irish goods exports went to Britain."  But that was food (dairy for example) from indigenous industries. But as Americans' FDI moved into Ireland, contribution of indigenous industries to Ireland's export "ha correspondingly shrunk."

(5) "Brexit could thus be devastating to rural Ireland [whose food export to UK may a high tarriff, besides inability to go through UK, for fear of double tax: once into UK and again after leaving UK] face while boosting the sort of FDI that benefits its bigger cities, notably Dublin."

(6) "Yet a soft Brexit would be welcome in both parts of Ireland's dual economy. * * * A gentler Brexit that allows for a continuation of tariff-free flows for a time after Britain leaves the EU will give time for Irish food producers to reorient to other European markets. That won't be easy. Ireland would need to * * * 'try flogging Irish Cheddar cheese to the French.'
(a) I am clueless about why The Economist put the words (try flogging Irish Cheddar cheese to the French) within a pair of quotation marks. I google it and find just ONE example: this article.
(b) flog (vt): "British slang to sell"
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/flog
(c) Cheddar cheese
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheddar_cheese
(The term "is widely used, but has no Protected Designation of Origin within the European Union;" section 1 History)