The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and industry stakeholders have met the recent changes to agricultural machinery movement rules between Northern Ireland and Britain with outrage. This follows the industry receiving an email on Friday 13 June, for implementation on the 23 June, regarding significant changes to inspection requirements.

The farming organisation stated that the timeframe around increased machinery paperwork and phytosanitary inspection requirements demonstrated a “staggering lack of understanding of practical agricultural realities”.

“The notion that our industry, already grappling with complex post-Brexit realities, can absorb such a drastic operational change with a paltry five working days’ warning is beyond absurd. It demonstrates an astonishing disconnect between policymakers and the gritty realities of farming life. Government has proven itself inadequate in communicating these vital messages to those who actually move machinery between GB and NI,” said UFU president William Irvine.

The association highlights that previous commitments outlined a path for dealers and farmers to continue benefiting from the straightforward Northern Ireland Plant Health Label (NIPHL) for machinery staying in NI, alongside a promise to simplify requirements for those seeking onward movement to the EU via an extended Plant Health Exports Audited Trader Scheme (PHEATS) or accelerated APHA inspections.

“We were promised a ‘simple and easy to use’ NIPHL, with a ‘new communications campaign’ to ensure its benefits were well understood. We were told of extending the PHEATS scheme, allowing GB businesses to self-inspect for onward EU sales, or accelerated APHA inspections within two days for smaller volumes.

“These were solemn commitments, uttered by the government itself, to provide flexibility and ease. What we have witnessed, however, is a cynical dismantling of those assurances. Promises made over a year ago have been broken,” he added.

“Furthermore, the decision that machinery entering NI under the NIPHL can never enter the Republic of Ireland clearly demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about cross-border trade and the very nature of farms that straddle the border. This isn’t about protecting our island; it’s about bureaucratic overkill that fails to grasp basic agricultural and economic geography,” he concluded.

Dealer comment

One well-known NI machinery dealer explained that there is a huge amount of confusion out there on the topic. It’s his understanding that all tractors and farm machinery coming from GB into NI, excluding construction, plant and other equipment, such as forestry equipment, will now need a phytosanitary certificate, in the same way farm machinery coming from GB to ROI is subject too. He understands this certificate between GB and NI will be eligible for 14 days once granted, and the machine will be inspected by DAERA at the point of entry into NI.