My Department is working closely with colleagues across the Public Sector as part of the whole of Government approach to preparations for Brexit.
A dedicated Brexit Unit comprising of nine staff has already been established within my Department and my officials are engaged in an on-going exercise to identify further resource and business needs arising from Brexit. This Unit is supported across the Department by a large number of sectoral staff with responsibility for Agri-Food sectors that will be impacted by Brexit.
The Government Decision of 18th September 2018 details the Government's approach to Brexit requirements for the central case scenario (a Withdrawal Agreement, transition period up to 31st December 2020 and a Free Trade Agreement without tariffs or quotas in place from 1st January 2021) up to the end of 2019. This Government Decision provides for the assignment of up to 116 additional staff in 2019, depending on timing of engagement.
Such additional resources will be focused on facilitating both Brexit preparation and key initial staffing requirements regarding implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks at point of import (hereinafter called "import controls").
A number of veterinary and plant health experts and Portal Inspectors are already deployed at points of entry carrying out import controls on agri-food products. My Department will continuously assess resource requirements as the negotiations progress and as the position becomes clearer.
