New sea trade border between UK and Ireland begins today
The ‘Irish Sea Border’ is a direct consequence of Brexit and most commercial goods entering Northern Ireland will now require a customs declaration.
Brexit has finally dawned and the changes due to the Brexit deal are already being felt. The BBC reports that most commercial goods entering Northern Ireland will now require a customs declaration, although the UK government has announced that there will be a three-month grace period for parcels.
The temporary exemption is meant to facilitate the free flow of parcels in the currently overloaded distribution network. Food products will also fall under new rules, with many needing a health certificate to pass through border control posts at NI’s ports.
Haulage companies, in particular, are worried about the changes and many are anxious about the ability of IT infrastructure to cope with the new conditions. However, there will be no checks for the vast majority of goods leaving NI for Great Britain. The purpose of the deal reached by the EU and UK in 2019 is to prevent a hard border with Ireland.
