Freight Transport Association Ireland has urged UK businesses to ensure any goods sent to the Republic of Ireland are accompanied by the correct declarations paperwork or face potential delays on arrival at Dublin and other Irish ports.
Freight Transport Association Ireland is a not-for-profit membership trade group for the Irish freight, passenger and logistics industries.
A week after the end of the Brexit Transition period, Aidan Flynn, FTA Ireland's general manager, has cautioned British businesses that failure to comply with new procedures will put the Irish supply chain at risk.
"We are all facing new trading arrangements for the first time in 40 years and that situation poses issues for all of us," Aidan Flynn said.
He said that to ensure that goods continue to flow smoothly to and from the Republic, everyone in the supply chain must work together and allocate clear roles and responsibilities.
"That way, all the necessary declarations can be completed, and correct paperwork provided to accompany loads. Without it, delays and frustrations will quickly mount up," he warned.
Adian Flynn said that in the first week of the new trading relationship between the UK and Ireland, several loads bound for Dublin have been prevented from entering the country due to missing or incorrectly completed paperwork.
"While traffic flows are still building after the festive break, once numbers reach the normal capacity, the failure to follow new processes could have a significant impact on trading conditions and the supply chain as a whole," he stated.
Irish Customs has made a helpline available to those moving goods to and from Ireland to check that the processes have been followed correctly.
Aidan Flynn said the FTA is urging business to take advantage of the service and prevent costly delays which put the supply chain at risk.
The Irish Customs Helpline - 01-73833685 - is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It can deal with enquiries on customs clearance, import/export and transit controls, customs controls on items shipped using An Post, movement of goods which have a declaration reference number and other general customs queries.
