Mr. David McArdle:

Going back to the issue of agriculture and paperwork, agrifood or other agricultural products imported into the country are required to have original certificates. In light of current technology, this needs to be looked at. There should be a change to the requirement for this valuable paperwork to be carried around in an envelope and transferred from trailer to driver and back to the trailer. The way the business operates out of the UK into Ireland for goods is on the basis of a 24-hour service and 80% of this runs on an unaccompanied basis. As such, the trailer is brought by truck to be loaded onto the ship. The truck stays in the UK, while the trailer is shipped to Ireland and then collected by another truck. This system is used as a result of time and cost factors. However, trailers containing agricultural goods now have to be sealed but there is nowhere to put the papers except inside the trailer. If one goes for a seal check, the inspector will want the paperwork and one has to break the seal in order to get it. That is a problem. The original certificates for agricultural produce is another issue. In this age of technology, the certificates should be separately emailed, such as to a driver's phone, so that those working in the sector do not have to go around carrying certified sheets of paper. If one of the certificates is lost, the truck will be delayed for weeks at the port.