Construction work began on a border crossing in north Wales that would check goods from the Republic of Ireland after Brexit, according to the BBC.
The facility at Holyhead is due to be operational in 2025. When the UK left the EU in 2021, products destined for the EU were immediately subject to customs and regulatory procedures.
However, the UK government was not ready to implement controls on EU goods, and the introduction of such controls was postponed several times. EU agri-food products arriving at English Channel ports started being checked earlier in 2024.
Products from the Republic of Ireland were not inspected due to a shortage of facilities at ports on the west coast of the UK. Holyhead in north Wales is one of the main ports for Irish goods entering the UK.
Sarah Morton, regional director for Kier Construction, the main contractor on the project, stated that the company’s design and realisation team had worked closely with the Welsh Government in planning the construction of the post.
We are excited that the project is underway.
Meanwhile, goods from Northern Ireland travelling directly to the UK will not be subject to any new checks or controls as the UK government has guaranteed that they will have “unfettered access.”
The Scottish port is the main entry point for goods from Northern Ireland entering the UK. The previous decision to check goods at Northern Ireland ports did not work out well, as the government feared that local goods would also be detained for inspections.
