Countdown to new checks for Irish food stuffs at British ports

Holyhead Port in Wales. Exporters,  importers, and Government officials are increasingly concerned about the huge changes that are coming down the road as the accords under the long-delayed Trade and Cooperation Agreement finally come into place. 

Irish exports of food stuffs, live animals, animal products, plants, and plant products to Britain face checks at British ports for the first time at the end of October under the long delayed Brexit accords, and many traders may likely be ill-prepared, a leading expert has warned.    

Aidan Flynn, chief executive at Freight Transport Association Ireland, also warned that it was "unclear" whether a key system designed to smooth trade in food products by issuing compatible health certificates would be ready in time on this side of the Irish Sea. 

Exporters,  importers, and Government officials are increasingly concerned about the huge changes that are coming down the road as the accords under the long-delayed Trade and Cooperation Agreement finally come into place. 

"Ireland's exporters, particularly those involved in the export of food products, live animals animal products, plants or plant products from Great Britain have been immune to the full impact of Brexit through the deferred introduction of the sanitary and phytosanitary checks and other requirements at British ports," Mr Flynn said. 

"This is now changing as Irish exporters of these products will see new checks at British ports," he told the Irish Examiner.     

The British government had refused for a number of reasons to impose checks on many goods coming into its ports from Ireland and the rest of the European Union. 

It had argued that it first wanted the TCA protocol renegotiated, which it secured under the so-called Windsor Framework that governs trade in goods between the North and Britain. 

The British government also appeared to fear that imposing checks at its ports last year would have made the fallout from inflation even worse for its households and businesses, possibly by delaying the transportation and increasing the costs of food imports from the EU at its borders. 

Electronic certificates

Mr Flynn said that Irish HGV drivers will require digitised health certificates for their products from the end of October.

However, currently, "it is unclear if the Irish Electronic Health Certificate system will be ready and compatible ith UK systems for the required categories of goods", he warned. 

Meanwhile, the latest Central Statistics Office figures suggest that trade in goods across the Irish Sea between the Republic and Britain has increased, for both exports and imports. 

Exports of food and live animals from the Republic's air and sea ports to Britain in the first three months of this year were worth €956m, up from €840m in the same period in 2022, and exports of chemical and related products climbed to €1.7bn from €1.3bn a year earlier.     

The value of goods exports from the Republic to Britain overall climbed to €4.3bn in the first three months from €3.8bn a year earlier, the figures show.

Imports from Britain to the Republic have also increased in the first three months to €5.9bn from €5.2bn a year earlier, according to the Central Statistics Office. 

Imports of mineral fuels and lubricants climbed sharply, but imports of food and live animals were little changed.