No departure date has been agreed as of yet for a shipload of bulls destined for Libya, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed.

The consignment consists of some 3,000 bulls which are due to depart from Waterford Port for the north African country.

In a brief statement on the matter, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said:

There is no departure date agreed or approval for the loading of livestock on the vessel in question by the department.

“The department understands the vessel arrived at Waterford Port on [Tuesday] September 8.”

In terms of ship inspections, the spokesperson added: “The inspection of the vessel is a matter for the International Maritime Organisation’s Port State Control.”

Businesses urged to ‘focus on readiness’ for Brexit

With 100 days to go until the end of the Brexit transition period and the inevitable changes to come with it, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar is urging businesses to “focus on their readiness”.

From January 1, 2021, the UK will no longer be in the single market or customs union which means trade will be starkly different from then on. Even if a free trade agreement is concluded between the EU and UK, there will be “significant and enduring change”, Minister Varadkar has warned.

One of the areas where businesses will experience enormous change is customs.