BBC News
By Conor Macauley
Published
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The agriculture minister has said he expects the grace period on rules around food imports from Britain to NI to apply to up to 15 companies.
Edwin Poots was appearing before a Stormont committee for the first time since he came out of isolation after contracting Covid-19.
He and senior officials gave MLAs a detailed briefing on the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
It will take effect at the end of the Brexit transition.
At that point Northern Ireland will continue to follow EU rules on goods, including food, while the rest of the UK will not.
Movement Assistance Scheme to support agrifood traders
Support includes a dedicated helpline and means traders will not need to pay certification costs
From:
16 December 2020
New support for traders and businesses goes live today with the launch of the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS), to help them meet new requirements for moving animals, plants and associated products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the transition period ends.
This includes advice to businesses through a dedicated helpline and means traders will not need to pay certification costs, which will be reimbursed by government to those certifying the products. Together, these measures will make it easier for traders to continue to move agri-food goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.