Specific rules relating to the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the United Kingdom of certain consignments of goods

In accordance with the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, a number of EU legislative acts concerning sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures apply to and in the UK in respect of Northern Ireland after the end of the transition period set out in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Accordingly, the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK of certain consignments of products of animal or plant origin, including animal food, plants for planting, machinery and vehicles for agricultural or forestry purposes and seed potatoes falls within the scope of these acts and is subject to official controls, certification requirements and prohibitions. This also applies to non-commercial movements of certain pet animals.

The UK and certain UK-based stakeholders have voiced serious concerns that the Withdrawal Agreement imposes a disproportionately high administrative burden on the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK of certain goods subject to SPS, where destined for final consumers in Northern Ireland. This would undermine the place of Northern Ireland within the UK’s internal market.

On this basis, the Commission and the UK have agreed a comprehensive set of joint solutions to address everyday issues of all communities in Northern Ireland, which protect the integrity of both the EU’s and the UK’s internal markets. These include:

• a simplification of requirements and procedures for the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK of certain retail goods subject to SPS Union acts destined for final consumers in Northern Ireland;
• a new solution for the entry into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK of valued products including seed potatoes, plants for planting and machinery and vehicles for agricultural or forestry purposes;
• application of UK’s public health and consumer protection standards to retail goods moved to and consumed in Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK;
• simplified travel documentation for non-commercial movement of pet animals accompanying persons travelling to Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK.

These solutions would in all case foresee appropriate protection of public, animal and plant health, and safeguards for the integrity of the EU internal market.