NI businesses facing 'debt recovery threats' over 'structural failure' in Irish Sea border implementation
Businesses in Northern Ireland are facing “debt recovery threats” over charges which should not apply under the Windsor Framework, industry representatives have said.
The issues have been described as a “structural failure” – which is “damaging NI competitiveness, discouraging GB suppliers, and eroding trust in the system”.
New rules on business to business (B2B) parcels travelling from the mainland into Northern Ireland came into place earlier this year, and require customs declarations to be carried out in certain circumstances, as the province remains in the EU single market for goods – while Great Britain has left.
Fortior Insight Ltd, a trade and customs consultancy based in Northern Ireland, says NI businesses are calling on the UK Government to intervene.
They say Fast Parcel Operators are imposing “unjustified disbursement and duty charges” on parcels sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland since the implementation of new rules on the 1st of May 2025.
Fortior say this is despite official procedures to prevent such costs and offset tariffs under the Windsor Framework – and that “countless businesses report being billed for charges that should have been waived or reimbursed, with some now facing debt recovery threats for refusing to pay”.
Fortior Insight’s director Jonathan Walsh said: “This isn’t a minor technical issue — it’s a structural failure that’s damaging NI competitiveness, discouraging GB suppliers, and eroding trust in the system.
“If these fees are allowed to continue unchecked, more NI businesses will look to EU suppliers instead of GB — not because they want to, but because it’s simpler and cheaper.”
A UK government spokesperson said: "The Windsor Framework is the best workable solution to Northern Ireland's unique circumstances - providing access to both the UK and EU internal markets and ensuring that there is no hard border on the island of Ireland.
"The UK has also introduced a range of schemes to support businesses by removing unnecessary checks and paperwork, with over 15,000 businesses already signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme."