What The Irish Sea Border Means for Supply Chain Efficiency
The Irish Sea border will remain in place until 2027, it has been confirmed, following a series of negotiations between the UK and EU.
Since 2021, the border has created a series of delays for British goods entering Northern Ireland due to extensive post-Brexit controls.
However, an agreement has now been reached to cease such checks being carried out.
What is the Irish Sea border?
The Irish Sea border refers to the trade border between Northern Ireland (NI) and Great Britain (GB).
It came into effect in January 2021 after the Brexit deal, maintaining trade between NI the Republic of Ireland through NI's following of EU regulations.
As a result, goods coming from GB into NI go through a series of checks in order to meet EU rules.
Since 2023, the Windsor Framework has regulated the Irish Sea Border. The framework was signed to reduce the number of restrictions and red tape on any GB products into NI, but issues persisted.
In May, the EU and UK reached a deal which means no more physical checks on GB food products or horticultural products like seeds and garden plants at Northern Ireland ports.
While NI and GB have agreed upon the dismantling of the Irish Sea Border controls, further negotiations are set to take place with a view to UK legislation being drawn up in 2026 and implementation in 2027.
Border causes supply chain headaches
The Irish Sea border has caused major supply chain delays and higher prices for food shipping over the last five years.
With added layers of paperwork and protocol, it has taken longer than ever to get fresh food across the Irish sea, causing higher costs, food wastage and delays in products reaching store shelves.
Back in May, Alex Freudmann, Managing Director at M&S Food, issued a plea: "Before Brexit, the requirements were simple. Fill the lorry in the depot and send it on its way with one piece of paper listing what was in the trailer. But tonight our trucks travelling to the Republic of Ireland were loaded yesterday and sat idle for 16 hours before the driver set off, now armed with over 200 pieces of paper.
"Paperwork that takes hours to complete and demands detail as niche as the Latin name for the chicken that is used in our Chicken Tikka Masala. And that is just for the products we are able to send to our Irish stores. Sausages, burgers and some fresh sandwiches can no longer be sent from the UK at all."
"The Government is also looking at securing a Veterinary Agreement with the EU that will reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy involved in moving lasagne from London to Dublin, as well as importing chorizo from Spain.
"Around 7,000 different M&S products destined for Irish customers – around a third of our catalogue – require Export Health Certificates. And each certificate, bizarrely, needs a signature from a vet – costing well over £1m (US$1.3m) a year in vet fees and adding hours of admin time.
"This can lead to very long delays, wasted food and gaps on shelves for our valued Irish customers.
"Five years on, it is time to put an end to the Brexit bureaucracy that burdens both UK and Irish businesses. My ask of the Government is to move with pace of action, not just words – at a time when the UK’s food businesses and farmers need all the help they can get."
An end to delays?
In addition to retail powerhouses like M&S, small businesses have also been struggling due to their suppliers pausing shipping overseas while the border is in place.
It's hoped putting an end to prohibitive checks and controls will increase supply chain efficiency, resulting in a better trade relationships between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
For many, the end of these checks and controls cannot come soon enough.
