During 2025, DAERA officers at NI ports intercepted 24 non-compliant “white van” movements carrying “high-risk products of plant and animal origin” from Britain into NI, figures released by the department reveal.

The data, contained within the latest DAERA annual report for 2025-2026, confirm that in total, 8.2t of these high-risk products were seized and destroyed in line with legal obligations.

“Portal Inspectors also made 7,679 seizures of products of animal origin and plant products at airports and a further 825 seizures at courier and parcel depots,” the report adds.

The inspection activity comes under the remit of the Windsor Framework, a post-Brexit agreement made between the UK and the EU in 2023, that facilitates trade from Britain to NI, while safeguarding the EU Single Market.

In 2025, DAERA processed over 165,000 consignments of plant and animal origin coming into NI. During the year, permanent inspection facilities became fully operational at Belfast, Larne, Warrenpoint and Foyle ports.

“These facilities mark a major milestone in NI’s trading and biosecurity capability, supporting the full and faithful implementation of the Windsor Framework,” states the DAERA report.

Health law

Other issues noted in the 195-page document include the need to comply with EU Animal Health Law (AHL), given it is listed in an annex to the Windsor Framework.

That EU legislation sets out rules around the prevention and control of diseases such as bovine TB and comes with various requirements such as pre or post movement TB testing.

“DAERA is working to modify operational practices to implement AHL rules and introduce a suite of domestic legislation to give full effect to the rules by mid-2027,” states the report.

The threat posed by high incidence rates of TB is listed among the main issues faced by the department in the last year, as were the risks posed by avian influenza and bluetongue.

At the start of December 2025, following confirmation of a bluetongue outbreak on a Bangor farm, the department put in place movement restrictions within a 20km zone.

That outbreak inadvertently led to DAERA Minister Andrew Muir issuing his only ‘ministerial direction’ in the last financial year. On 23 December he went against the advice of his senior civil servants and put in place a £300,000 scheme to pay laboratory costs associated with pre-movement testing of animals, thereby allowing livestock to move off farms in the zone.

Other issues

The other main issues faced by the department include the ongoing lack of an agreed Stormont Executive budget, with knock-on impacts on the availability of staff to deliver services.

“Environmental protection and water quality remained areas of significant concern,” the report adds.

Challenges

It also makes reference to a number of legal challenges faced by the department during the last financial year, including around environmental management and funding of animal welfare services by local councils.

There was also a judicial review against the department relating to an historic case of valuations put on cattle removed due to brucellosis in 2006-2007, which was “settled out of court”.