Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 December 2022
124. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will sanction the continuance of the flying truck in order that non-European Union agricultural products flown into Ireland can continue to be transited and checked at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61146/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraChecks carried out at points of entry to the European Single Market are key to the protection of food safety, animal and plant health, and animal welfare standards in the European Union.
Live animals, animal products, regulated plants, and certain types of foods of non-animal origin are required to be presented for sanitary and phytosanitary checks at the border control post, or BCP, at the first point of entry into the European Union.
The legal basis for these checks is laid down in EU Regulation 2017/625. Like all EU Regulations, EU Regulation 2017/625 is directly implementable in the Member States and as such business operators, and indeed competent authorities, must comply with the rules contained therein.
The rules laid down in Regulation 625 are separate from those provided for in customs legislation. Customs legislation does provide for the transit of consignments under customs control, from one location to another. Operators may apply for permission to operate a so-called ‘flying truck’ transit procedure, once the SPS controls required have been carried out.
To facilitate the checks required by EU Regulation 2017/625, my Department has operated BCPs at three locations since the European Single Market was first created. The locations are Dublin Airport, Dublin Port and Shannon Airport. On foot of the outcome of the Brexit referendum, an assessment was carried out of GB trade flows through ports and airports in Ireland.
On foot of that assessment a decision was taken to expand the BCP at Dublin Airport and Dublin Port, as well as to construct a new BCP at Rosslare Port. These expansions have been key to ensuring trade flows as freely as possible post 1st January2021, when import controls were implemented for all consignments coming from GB.
The expansion of the BCP at Dublin Airport now means that operators who are importing products through Dublin Airport no longer have to transport products by road to the BCP at Shannon and then onwards to the premises of destination.
The controls can now be carried out, before the products leave Dublin Airport, and as such can travel straight from Dublin Airport to the premises of destination. That said, I understand that this does represent a change for businesses that were used to operating in a particular way for a number of years. Officials in my Department are currently engaging with those operators, to understand the business implications and to see what can be done to minimise disruption, within the framework of the legislation.
The BCP at Shannon Airport remains fully operational and ready to carry out checks on any consignments landing at Shannon Airport.
