Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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698. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to he fact that Rosslare Port is not a designated port for food imports from outside of the EU; his plans to make such a designation at the port; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30113/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Rules relating to the import of food products from outside the EU  are laid down in European legislation. Imports of such products can be divided into three categories; products of animal origin, products of plant origin and composite products (may contain materials of both animal and plant origin). Imports of food products coming from countries outside the European Union are subject to checks to verify compliance with European legislation.

In Ireland these checks are required to be carried out at ports or airports approved or designated for this purpose. The decision to seek approval or designation for this purpose is a commercial decision to be made by port and airport authorities, balancing the income to be derived from such imports against the costs of providing the necessary facilities required by the legislation.

My Department is always available for discussions with any port or airport authority interested in having such a facility. The outcome of Brexit negotiations may have implications for the volume of non-EU products imported through ports, including Rosslare. My Department is examining the potential implications of this in the context of its preparatory work for Brexit.