This is a subscriber-only article
The withdrawal of inspection staff from Belfast and Larne ports, after graffiti appeared in the local area threatening port workers, has so far not disrupted trade. It is understood that goods are currently being allowed to pass through unchecked.
Under EU sanitary and phytosanitary rules, 30% of goods from animal or plant origin are required to be physically inspected at the point of entry to the EU single market.
Under the terms of the Northern Ireland (NI) Protocol, all goods arriving into NI ports from Britain are subject to these rules, but while physical checks are not being carried out, full documentary checks (which are done remotely) remain in place.
While a short-term suspension of checks is unlikely to impact on the overall longer implementation of the NI protocol, any longer-term disruption could have consequences.
These are unlikely to impact directly on farmers.
Instead, consumers could see reduced choice in supermarkets if supplies can’t be brought in from distribution centres in Britain.
Disruption to imports could also impact NI meat businesses who import both beef and lamb carcases for processing.
This would reduce overall supplies and create more demand for NI cattle, and to a lesser extent cattle from the Republic of Ireland.
SHARING OPTIONS: