Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Further Revised)

Photo of Joe FlahertyJoe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My thanks to the Tánaiste for coming to the committee this morning. I want to raise one thing if that is okay. I appreciate it straddles a number of Departments but it is very much in the Tánaiste's area. It relates to the UK high-level border operating model for produce of animal origin. Several companies in my region are going to be adversely affected if the current situation pertains when the new stipulations come into effect from 1 August. As the Tánaiste will be aware, many of the companies operating in value added food products are going to be affected by the third country issue. The plants operate 24 hours per day and many operate for six or seven days per week. They have trucks departing their facilities in real time with a short window to make ferry connections. Several of these plants already have sister facilities in the UK. They have seen first-hand the impact of these new regulations and have been flagging for several months that we need to try to put in place a procedure, possibly a workaround or some other mechanism, that can safeguard the operation of these businesses.

Several of the companies are engaging with the office of the chief veterinary officer and it has been a positive engagement so far. One of the suggestions is that technical officers could be brought in to supervise the loading and that a vet will sign off later on. That has been shot down by the companies on the basis that countries, including France, have a loose interpretation of the guidelines. In contrast, Rotterdam Port officials insist on the full rigours of the requirements. A procedure involving a document signed off by a technical officer and then a vet signing it two hours later simply will not satisfy the officials in Rotterdam. This means those trucks will not get access to that market.

I understand there is some engagement between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and some of these businesses but I believe it will require the diplomacy and input of the Tánaiste to get a solution and possibly the input of the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Byrne, at EU level.

All of these companies are blue-chip food producers and major employers not only in my region but throughout the country. I wish to impress upon the Tánaiste the need to try to find a solution for these businesses ahead of 1 October.

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