| UPDATED: 11:22, Tue, Jan 12, 2021
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Brexit negotiations regularly faltered over the issue of the Irish border until Prime Minister Boris Johnson and then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar settled on the Northern Ireland Protocol. This meant the region would leave the EU along with the rest of the UK, but continue to follow the rules of the bloc’s single market and customs union. Such an arrangement meant seamless trade could continue with the Republic of Ireland, avoiding the revival of a hard border.
BBC News
By Conor Macauley
Published
image captionNI s chief vet Dr Robert Huey says his staff have spent the past week helping businesses fill in forms to get over the Irish Sea border
Northern Ireland s chief vet has said his staff have spent the past week helping businesses fill in forms to get over the Irish Sea border.
Dr Robert Huey was giving evidence to a Stormont Committee.
He said his original plan on how to deal with checks had quickly fallen apart because firms were not complying with the rules.
They were meant to pre-notify officials of their load and seal the vehicles before getting on the ferry to GB.