Food and drink companies are set to quit Northern Ireland en masse because of "the added cost, complexity and trade friction" of doing business after Brexit, Boris Johnson's government has been told.

The UK exported more food and drink to outside the EU than into it in the first few months after Brexit as exports to the bloc nosedived.

Food industry trade bodies are discussing whether to take legal action against the government over post-Brexit plans that will require all meat and dairy products sold in the UK to be labelled as “not for EU”.

Sales to Germany, Spain and Italy all dropped by more than a third in the past year.

The UK’s trade agreement with Australia led to British farmers and associations voicing concerns about unfair competition and a lowering of food standards.