Business Editor
A senior Government official has said there is no reason to expect there will be any significant shortages in goods because of ongoing post-Brexit supply chain challenges.
Declan Hughes, an Assistant Secretary in the Indigenous Enterprise Unit in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said there may have been - and may be in future - some isolated incidents with certain products.
But there had been no shortages of significance at this stage, he added.
Mr Hughes was speaking at a multi-agency Brexit briefing at Dublin Port, alongside officials from Revenue, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transport and An Garda Siochana.
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Volume of trucks arriving in Ireland is 50% lower than expected due to Covid restrictions and Brexit
“I wouldn’t say it’s a delay – I would say this is very much the new norm,” Tom Talbot of Revenue said. By Gráinne Ní Aodha Monday 18 Jan 2021, 3:39 PM Jan 18th 2021, 3:39 PM 14,756 Views 24 Comments
Supermarkets could see empty shelves in coming weeks, according to the Irish Freight Transport Association.
Image: Sasko Lazarov
Image: Sasko Lazarov
THE VOLUME OF trucks arriving in Ireland is around 50% lower than in previous years, State officials have said, which is partly due to post-Brexit checks creating an obstacle for deliveries from Great Britain.
Truckers who try to dodge new customs checks when travelling from Britain will be pursued by Revenue and face possible sanctions, including a €5,000 fine or prison time.
More ferries are to sail directly from Ireland to the European mainland in a move to circumvent the traditional trade route over mainland England and Wales.
The British exit from the EU means that trucks passing through Irish ports will now have to undergo unpopular, lengthy and bureaucratic checks, particularly in the areas of agriculture, food and plants.
At Dublin’s port the main entry and exit point for haulage companies moving product to and from Ireland to the European mainland and beyond checks are returning for the first time since 1992 on cargo travelling across the Irish Sea
But 200 kilometres away from the Irish capital, the port in Rosslare is gearing up for major changes to prepare for increased haulage traffic.