Halting Brexit agri-food checks at North's ports 'effectively a breach of international law'

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney: 'To deliberately frustrate obligations under that treaty would be a very serious matter indeed, it's essentially playing politics with legal obligations, and I certainly hope it doesn't happen as threatened and described.'

The halting of Brexit agri-food checks at ports in the North is "effectively a breach of international law", Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said.

It comes after Stormont's agriculture minister Edwin Poots ordered that the checks, which are required under the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol, be stopped.