NEW Brexit restrictions have led a North Yorkshire plant nursery to stop supplying plants to Northern Ireland. Johnsons Of Whixley annually sold £500,000 worth of plants to Northern Irish customers before Brexit but says new rules stop it supplying rootball, bare root and container plants into the EU and now Northern Ireland. Plants which originate from a bare root young plant, or that have had contact with the soil, even if container grown, are considered a risk due to the likely legacy of soil residue which has the potential to carry pathogens or nematodes. Johnsons says soil residue removal is impractical and would defeat the object of rootballing and containerisation.