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Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots has confirmed only a very tiny number of food loads have been refused entry at ports in the north since the start of the implementation of the Protocol last year.

Only 147, or under 0.1% of 157,349 consignments of live animal, products of animal origin or plant and plant products, checked at ports between January 1, 2021 and March, 20, 2022, were refused entry, the minister stated.

Mr. Poots was recently asked about the impact of the Protocol by Traditional Unionist Voice leader MLA Jim Allister.

The minister replied: "Between January 1, 2021 and March 20, 2022, 165,260 consignments have been subjected to Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls by DAERA officials at Northern Ireland (NI) Points of Entry (POE), with a further 7,440 consignments subjected to checks by Council officials. Breakdown of those DAERA consignments is as follows:

A very small number of food loads were refused entry.

"Live animals (CHED A) – 7,484 consignments.

"Products of Animal Origin (CHED P) – 145,483 consignments.

"Plant and Plant Products (CHED PP) – 11,866 consignments.

"For the purposes of this reply, there will be no distinction made between the edible and inedible components of those CHED P & PP consignments, ie. all CHED P & PP consignments will be classified as ‘food’.

"Up until March 20, 2021, 147 (or under 0.1% of the 157,349 DAERA controlled CHED P & PP consignments were refused entry following delivery of official controls. Reasons included a combination of documentary, identity and physical check failures as outlined below:

"Documentary failures – 105

"Identity Failures – 32

"Physical failures – 28

"Those 147 rejected consignments were transported to NI ports on 78 trailers/loads."

Mr. Poots also provided details for the period February 10 to March 20 this year.

It turns out that just nine (or 0.087%) of 10,402 DAERA controlled CHED P & PP consignments were refused entry over this period.

The minister said: "Reasons included a combination of documentary, identity and physical failures as outlined below:

"Documentary failures – 4

"Identity Failures – 2

"Physical failures – 5

"Those nine rejected consignments were transported to NI ports on six trailers/loads.

"DAERA do not hold accurate data on the number of rejections overseen by Local Council officials."

Just 147 of 157,349 (0.1%) food loads refused entry under Protocol checks

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