Straw and hay importers will have to meet new rules when moving bales from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has advised.

Under the requirements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and associated UK legislation, Northern Ireland remains within the EU Single Market and regulatory zone for animal health, plant health and for some aspects of public health protection.

Outlining the new rules for moving consignments of hay and straw from Great Britain to Northern Ireland which came into force on January 1, a DAERA spokesperson said: “From January 1, before moving hay or straw from Great Britain to Northern Ireland the person responsible for the consignment must:

Be registered on TRACES NT (the EU’s Trade Control and Expert System);
Create a Common Health Entry Document for Products of Animal Origin (CHED P) on TRACES NT at least 24 hours before entering Northern Ireland. This will pre-notify DAERA of the arrival of the consignment;
When completing the CHED P, input CN code 1214 90 90 for hay and CN code 1213 00 00 for straw; and
Familiarise themselves with the conditions attached to the general import licence for hay and straw.

“A guidance note setting out each of these steps and links to further information is available on the DAERA website.

“The website also contains information about other rule changes following EU Exit and provides guidance to assist business and individuals through these changes.”

Traders can also receive notification of any new information or guidance by signing up to the DAERA EU Exit text alert service by texting ‘DAERAEUExitNews’ to 67300.