Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:56. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how the new UK import controls are impacting small Irish agrifood businesses. [8374/24]
View answerThursday, 22 February 2024
Questions (56)
Written answers
I acknowledge that the new UK requirements represent a significant change for Irish businesses trading with Great Britain and the additional burdens they impose on this vital trade. My Department has had extensive engagement with all stakeholders in the agri-food sector on these changes. This has included detailed training sessions for businesses trading with the UK and direct engagement by local Department teams with the food businesses they supervise.
As the Deputy is aware, on 31 January, the UK introduced new import controls on goods from the EU, including Ireland which included:
1. a requirement for full UK customs import declarations to be lodged on the UK customs systems in advance of all goods entering GB.
2. the pre-notification of imports of all animal products and all high and medium risk plant products to GB on the UK’s food and feed import system (IPAFFS)and
3. the provision of an export health certificate for Animal and plant products which have been categorised as high or medium risk by the UK.
These new UK import requirements are a further outworking of consequences of Brexit and do present significant changes for Irish exporters to GB, their logistics partners and their customers in GB.
My Department has worked extremely closely with Irish agri-food businesses to support them in preparing for these changes. This has included:
• extensive information campaign raising awareness of the changes through a series of information webinars, engagement with stakeholder groups and circulation of information and guidance to over 1,000 businesses involved in the agri-food sector supply chain;
• the provision of detailed training programmes for food businesses on export health certification requirements and processes;
• the assignment of additional resources through recruitment and redeployment to support export certification;
• intensive direct engagement between the Department's local supervisory teams and individual food businesses to agree processes to meet UK requirements.
I believe the extensive preparations undertaken by all actors in Ireland to GB agri-food supply chains have ensured that the new UK requirements are, for the vast majority of food businesses, large and small, trading with GB, being met in a effective manner since 31 January.
I want to assure the Deputy that my department will continue to engage with food businesses to carefully monitor and manage any risks and impacts arising from the new UK requirements, in particular associated with the delivery of export health certification.
This will ensure that the systems and processes supporting certification are refined on an ongoing basis in partnership with businesses with a view to delivering a sustainable and efficient certification service in the long term.
Questions Nos. 57 and 58 answered orally.