Mr. Paul Lynam:

I might come in on that. It is important to bear in mind that, unlike other trade agreements, the one between the EU and the UK will be an evolving one. It is not fully finalised. That is even more true in the context of the Northern Ireland protocol. When people talk about changing or rewriting the protocol, if one accepts the principle that the protocol should exist, and I appreciate that is not definitive across the board, it allows for efficiencies and changes to it. Our view is that there is a mechanism within the trade and co-operation agreement and the withdrawal agreement that established the protocol, through the EU-UK joint committee, to make sure the protocol is implemented efficiently.

From our reviews of our members, and Mr. Molloy touched on it, from a North-South, all-island perspective, the Northern Ireland protocol is working really well. It has allowed for the all-island supply chain to operate very efficiently. However, it is fair to say, that from Great Britain to Northern Ireland it is not working in the way that was envisaged. In theory, it should work, but it has not been working fully in practice and there is potential for more efficiencies. The stand-out point is that when all easements and grace periods end, this export health certificate will create a whole new layer of bureaucracy for British businesses and the island of Great Britain, which will feed into Northern Ireland. Put simply, importers and exporters will not be able to manifest so something has to be done there. Whether that is a veterinary agreement or a compromise, something has to be done and we should bear that in mind. The Northern Ireland protocol is not fully complete. It needs to be changed and made more efficient, but it needs to be maintained.