Unionists have hit out at a £5m bill facing Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to provide additional staff at Larne Port in order for it to meet obligations in relation to checks from the end of the grace period.
The council confirmed on Friday that it could be required to provide 72 full-time staff in order to ensure the checks process could operate smoothly from this autumn.
The Government has unilaterally extended grace periods limiting bureaucracy linked to the Northern Ireland Protocol until October.
They had been due to expire at the end of March.
A council spokesperson said: "Data has been provided to Council by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), and assuming there are no changes, they have advised Council that potentially each shift at Larne Port would require a total of 17 officers.