Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir denies ordering extra port checks on food travelling into NI from GB

Hauliers at Larne port, a major entry point for goods travelling from GB into Northern Ireland

During a hearing of Stormont’s a griculture, e nvironment and r ural a ffairs committee, an MLA said she had been told that almost half of chilled trailers moving into Northern Ireland had been stopped over a four-day period last week.

The DUP’s Michelle McIlveen asked the minister if he supported the elimination of all “routine physical and identity checks” on goods moving within the UK internal market system, as set out in the g overnment’s ‘Safeguarding the Union’ command paper.

The paper followed a deal between the g overnment and the DUP that led to the restoration of the Stormont power- sharing e xecutive.

Michelle McIlveen raised the issue at the Daera committee session

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the new arrangements removed the so-called Irish Sea trading border and restored Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom’s internal market.

Mr Muir told the committee that his department’s job was to uphold the law.

Ms McIlveen said: “With regard to checks which have been taking place over the last short while.

“Since you have taken up office, have you or your officials given a direction to increase the level of visual checks on agri-food from GB at NI ports?

“I am saying this because anecdotally we are hearing back that this may have happened, particularly for some supermarkets.

“One retailer has told us that out of 47 chilled trailers arriving into Northern Ireland over a four-day period last week, 40% were stopped for inspection by Daera (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) and 10% were detained for a considerable period of time.

“I just want to be reassured that there hasn’t been a direction given in respect of that and that people aren’t being over-zealous for a particular reason, because obviously there are impacts for fresh food.”

Mr Muir responded: “I can make it very clear to the committee today I have given no direction of any sort in relation to that and I have no desire to.”

He said he was frustrated by “anecdotal reports”.