It has been outlined that regulations on north/south agri trading post Brexit are still ongoing and the future terms and conditions “remain up in the air”.
Speaking at a Brexit seminar titled: ‘Practical Steps to keep Agri-Food Trade Moving’, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s superintending veterinary inspector Ronan Halpin explained: “When agri-food products come in from a third country, they have to be presented at a border control post.”
He noted that this is already the case in ports such as Dublin and Rosslare, however, he stressed: “What happens with regards a north/south border is subject to the ongoing discussions.”
Continuing, Halpin outlined: “All we do know is that checks will have to take place somewhere but those discussions are ongoing.
If we’re talking about an east/west border, normal import conditions will apply there and it will be controlled from the ports.
He noted: “We have infrastructure in our ports to be able to carry out these controls; in both Rosslare and Dublin, there are expanded facilities. We are ready in those locations.”
Minister Creed
Also commenting on the uncertainty of the future north/south trading relationship, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said: “It is a very significant part of the agri-food economy.
“We’re in detailed negotiations with the commission about the twin imperatives of protecting the Good Friday Agreement and the no hard border element of that plus, on the other side of it, protecting the integrity of the single market.”
Concluding, Minister Creed noted: “That’s a detail that continues to be worked on at a commission level.”