NEWS: Extra sea hurdle hits transporters

Irish horse transporters using the Harwich to Hook of Holland route are under threat of being classified by a Dutch privatised Border Control Point as non-EU

AN additional sea hurdle is hitting Irish equine transporters with a privatised Dutch border control point (BCP) seeking to impose extra charges and checks on them that apply to UK hauliers post Brexit.

The route in question is the nine-hour sea journey from Harwich to the Hook of Holland where the BCP has been privatised. The operator is allegedly seeking to levy the increased costs and extra checks to Irish hauliers as applies to the non-EU British transporters. This route is favoured as it is some 400km shorter than others.

Irish equine transporters, Roy and Deirdre Seale of Seale Transport told The Irish Field yesterday: “The process with Land Bridge transits on a T2 customs document currently allows us to transit UK and completed CHEDs (Common Health Entry Documents) which do not require an appointment at the BCP in Calais or Caen.

“Entry for horses into Hoek opened in October 2021 and the issue was definitely raised by a number of transporters but so far, we have heard nothing back of any substance other than the Irish position is that we should be able to use the route without the same charges/checks as UK horses.

“The Dutch procedure is entirely different and they maintain that their interpretation of the regulations and horses originating from Ireland (EU) and transiting UK on a T2 are still subject to the same checks as UK/3rd country checks and charges.

“There is a reciprocal arrangement with Irish imports where there is not the same charges for EU horses coming in to Ireland,” said Deirdre Seale.

Worryingly, it appears that the French BCPs, which are government-run, are now also being challenged on their interpretation of the post Brexit transport rules by the Dutch BCP privatised operator(s).

The Seales are to take the matter up with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine shortly.