There is room under the EU-UK trade agreement to allow supplies between Ireland and Britain to flow more smoothly, Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly has said.

Kelly has called for a review of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on food to be prioritised under the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement.

“Although the realities, and indeed consequences, of Brexit are causing many difficulties for businesses, agriculture and even households, it is important to recognise that the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement, together with the Northern Ireland Protocol, secured Ireland’s key objectives in the Brexit process.

“However, there is no doubt that this agreement was a mitigation exercise", Kelly said.

He said that avoiding a no-deal Brexit was particularly important for the agri food sector which would have been subject to devastating tariffs.

Rosy situation

"However, it is not exactly a rosy situation now that the deal is done, Kelly said.

He highlighted that the extra costs imposed by necessary checks and controls, will increase further when the UK introduces its own import regime.

“The review of the procedures in place for sanitary and phytosanitary checks on food of animal and plant origin and live animals by inspectors needs to be a priority," Kelly added.

“The current increase in costs across long-established and highly-integrated supply chains between Ireland and Britain is not sustainable, and this needs to be understood by both the European Commission and UK government.”

Article 16

The Fine Gael MEP said that last week's “ill-advised move from the Commission to consider triggering Article 16 of the protocol, and the fiasco of the internal markets bill has shown the potential volatility" in the new EU/UK relationship.

Kelly added that there "needs regular and robust dialogue in good faith and this should include regularly reviewing SPS measures applied by the EU and the UK including certification requirements and border clearance processes.

"Disruption to fisheries and other sectors will arise down the line and practical discussion needs to be the norm with the ongoing negotiations with the UK. This will be pivotal for Ireland," he concluded.