Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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1010. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the food import supply issues that have arisen due to Brexit; and if he will provide a detailed list of those items being delayed or no longer available to the Irish market. [12742/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Brexit presents very serious challenges for the agriculture sector, despite the Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached between the EU and the UK. Non-tariff barriers are resulting in increased costs for businesses, as well as delays and other impacts on supply chains. Traders are generally coming to terms with the reality of the changes that have come about since 1st January 2021, although the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland ensures that many of the changes arising from Brexit will not arise on the island of Ireland.

My Department is implementing checks and controls on agri-food goods arriving at Border Control Posts, in accordance with EU legislation. It continues to actively engage with a wide range of businesses and operators, including retailers, on both a bilateral basis and through the various consultative fora such as the Retail Roundtable chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's Retail Forum. These engagements are aimed at fostering a full understanding of the requirements to be met by operators responsible for consignments, and at resolving any issues in relation to, for example, the submission of documents. To date, we have not been made aware of any significant supply issues or specific difficulties in relation to particular products being delayed or no longer available to the Irish market.

I remain strongly engaged on this issue, but the reality is that this is a very complex area, and fundamental changes have arisen as a result of the UK decision to leave the Single Market and the Customs Union. This will ultimately affect overall trade flows between Ireland and Great Britain in ways that have yet to be fully determined.