Brexit: NI border posts 'would not cope' with checks if grace periods end

Warrenpoint Harbour is in Carlingford Lough, close to the Irish border

Temporary border control posts monitoring goods coming into Northern Ireland "would not be able to cope" if grace periods for checking certain products ended.

That is according to a senior director at Warrenpoint Harbour in County Down.

The requirement for checks is a result of the part of the Brexit deal relating to Northern Ireland, known as the protocol.

The protocol keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods.

Since 1 January, when it came into effect, goods arriving into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK have been subject to checks and controls.

Temporary border control posts were set up at Northern Ireland ports to carry out those checks.

However, grace periods mean checks on medicines and chilled meats have been delayed.

There would be an impact on trade if grace periods were to end, says a director of Belfast Harbour

Giving evidence to a House of Lords committee examining the protocol, Kieran Grant from Warrenpoint Harbour said it was impossible to assess what effect the ending of the grace periods would have on port operations.

However he added: "The temporary facility [at Warrenpoint], I don't think would be geared up to be able to handle... if 100% of the checks that are supposed to be implemented were implemented."

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Maurice Bullick, a director at Belfast Harbour, told the committee that while trade there was currently flowing freely, "a factor in that is the continuation of the grace periods", which he described as "critical".

"If the grace periods were to end and not be replaced by something different, then I think it is inevitable that we would assess that it would have an impact on the trade through the port," he said.

"In the event that the grace periods were to end and the current temporary inspection facility was still being relied upon, I think that could be disruptive."

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) is responsible for the temporary border control posts.

It plans to establish permanent control posts at Northern Ireland's ports.