Additional checks on Irish goods entering UK delayed

The introduction of additional post-Brexit checks on goods entering the UK from Ireland has been postponed, UK Brexit Minister David Frost said on Wednesday.

The grace period in place has been extended beyond its planned 1 January end date to allow continued negotiations between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Frost said it is unlikely to be “definitively concluded” by the new year.

The checks were previously set for an October introduction, but in September were postponed until January, also to allow more time for further Protocol discussions.

“The government has decided that the right thing is to extend, on a temporary basis, the current arrangements for moving goods from the island of Ireland to Great Britain for as long as discussions on the protocol are ongoing”, Frost said in a statement on Wednesday.

Doing so, he added, “ensures that traders in both Ireland and Northern Ireland are not faced with further uncertainty while the protocol arrangements themselves are still under discussion.”

Irish Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, said the decision was “a welcome and sensible move which will be good news for Irish exporters and farmers, especially at this time of the year.”

Irish food and drink exporters were set to face even stronger requirements, the implementation of which has also been delayed. However, goods arriving from the rest of the EU will still face additional checks as of 1 January. 

(Molly Killeen | EURACTIV.com)