‘Basic queries’ from port boss on agriculture checks issue were not answered for months
DUBLIN Port’s boss did not get answers to “basic queries” to the Government on plans for post-Brexit agriculture checks for months.
Eamonn O’Reilly, the port’s chief executive, raised the issue with the Department of Agriculture before the first feared crash-out Brexit deadline in March.
More than four months later he still did not have answers to questions about the capacity for agriculture border inspections at the Port.
Last night, both the Department of Agriculture and Dublin Port failed to respond when asked if they are satisfied adequate capacity is now in place if there is a no-deal Brexit on October 31.
Correspondence shows that Mr O’Reilly wrote to Department of Agriculture secretary general Brendan Gleeson on March 11, 18 days before the first Brexit deadline.
Mr O’Reilly said that events unfolding in Westminster “could result in a sudden and hard impact”. He said he would be talking to port users about their preparedness and identified the potential impact of agriculture checks as “the biggest issue I see on trade flows through Dublin Port”. His questions on the matter are blacked out in the documents that have been released.
Mr O’Reilly adds: “It is very important for me that the expectations of customers and users of Dublin Port are managed based on a realistic view of what is likely to happen in the worst case.”
Mr Gleeson’s brief reply later said: “That’s fine Eamonn. We’ll talk in the meantime.”
On July 31, Mr O’Reilly wrote to Mr Gleeson reminding him of his March email asking for information on the Agriculture Department’s “planned capacity to carry out border inspection checks in Dublin Port”.
He referred to four questions he asked in the original correspondence. He said that as before the March deadline he intended to invite port customers and State agencies to a meeting to discuss what to expect in the event of a hard Brexit.
Mr O’Reilly also wrote to the Department of Transport at the same time referring to the email to Mr Gleeson and saying any assistance it could give to get answers to “the basic queries” he made would be appreciated.
Transport Department secretary general Graham Doyle emailed Mr O’Reilly on August 2 to say that an interdepartmental group was set up with the aim of “minimising disruption at ports” in the event of a no-deal Brexit. He said: “Other technical groups are working on the operational issues like those you have raised in your email to Brendan.”