Hauliers warn of empty shelves as imports slow
Dublin Port operating at 50pc of normal capacity due to UK backlogs
THE Government will not give way and relax customs checks on UK imports even as hauliers warn that shoppers will face empty supermarket shelves unless there is action to reduce delays.
Britain left the single market at the end of last year, ushering in a period of uncertainty and delays over new trading rules and customs forms, with an immediate impact on foodstuffs.
“The UK left the European Union on the 31st [of December]. That’s a fact. So there is no scope for pause. The date has passed,” said Tom Talbot, the head of customs operations at Dublin Port.
Last week the Freight Transport Association of Ireland asked for a six-month suspension of certain customs declarations to allow hauliers to get up to speed with the new rules.
But the Government said it was an EU requirement to apply the rules in full.
“We’re guardians of the EU. We safeguard the food market, the internal market – jealously and rightly so – and that’s our job. So legally, we can’t pause for six months,” Mr Talbot said.
Hauliers say they are facing disruptions because UK suppliers are not filling in customs forms properly, leading to backlogs at UK warehouses and delays at Irish ports.
Stricter rules – including health certification, 24-hour pre-notification, and physical checks at Irish ports – apply to food products.
Hauliers say Irish shoppers could face empty supermarket shelves within weeks if the
problems are not solved.
Declan Hughes at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, told reporters yesterday that there had been “isolated issues with individual products”.
The Revenue Commissioners said that more than 80pc of goods arriving into Dublin Port are now being cleared for customs.
Mr Talbot said that of the 20pc of trucks stopped for checks, no driver had been held for longer than five hours.
However, the Port is operating at only 50pc of normal trade volumes because of the backlogs in the UK.
“It’s not having a really big impact now, but we need to unblock those before it does have,” said Eddie Burke of the Department of Transport’s Brexit unit.
Hauliers say there is also a lack of trained customs agents to process paperwork and complain that Revenue’s IT systems are too complex.
Revenue has offered traders a temporary fix to fast-track their safety and security declarations, but it will only be in place for a few weeks.
“Increased trade over the coming days and coming weeks is expected, and is expected to bring challenges, but we have planned for that,” said Mr Talbot.
Not enough trained customs agents and a too-complex IT system