Letter: Obstacles created for companies selling goods to Northern Ireland are barmy
A letter from Dr D R Cooper:
So do I have this right? If somebody in Northern Ireland wishes to get hold of Purina dog food they can just go to a local pet shop and buy what they need (Pet food firm cancels orders over protocol, August 17).
There would be no unusual formalities, and the store may even be prepared to deliver it to their premises.
Conceivably, they might take some of it across the border into the Irish Republic, for whatever reason, but apparently the relevant authorities in Brussels and Dublin are unconcerned by that possibility because they know it would not create a significant risk to the integrity of the EU single market.
But if the same person tries to get the same brand of dog food delivered direct from the same company, not an uncommon thing to do nowadays with the internet, then for no obvious good reason that becomes deeply problematic and enough artificial bureaucratic obstacles must be erected to deter the company from accepting such orders. How barmy is that?
And not only barmy, but in contravention of Article 7.4 of the World Trade Order Trade Facilitation Agreement to which the EU collectively and all its member states individually are parties, and so committed to "concentrate customs control... on high risk consignments", and "avoid arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination, or a disguised restriction on international trade".
Dr D R Cooper, Maidenhead