Horse-trading headaches 'show DUP rhetoric on Irish Sea border deal does not match reality'

The TUV was reacting to the detailed account of problems encountered by Luke Barton Horses and Ponies in Fermanagh.

He had spoken in depth to the News Letter on Monday about how onerous the requirements now are for transporting horses to-and-fro across the Irish Sea.

Felim Crane, who sells and ships horses for the firm, described having to adhere to battery of vet tests and having to fill in paperwork whereas pre-Brexit no such hurdles existed.

He also told the News Letter that he was met with laughter from port officials in Belfast last Friday when he asked what impact the deal which Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has accepted will have on the checks.

"Nothing is changing,” he was told, with one official adding that extra paperwork will soon in fact be required.

• Irish Sea border: Officials believe 'nothing will change' as a result of deal accepted by the DUP says Co Fermanagh horse trader who insists 'we do not have free trade with GB'

A TUV spokesperson said: “As the days and weeks go on there will be many people like Mr Crane who will find that the DUP claims about getting rid of the sea border do not live up to reality.“It was clear within days of the deal emerging that the DUP leadership had simply given up the battle on the sea border for the sake of saving Stormont and playing second fiddle to Sinn Fein in a Protocol-implementing Executive.”

Reacting to Mr Crane’s concerns, the DUP had said:

“There have always been checks on livestock movements between GB and NI, even when the UK was part of the EU.

"This is as much about protecting the bio security of NI livestock as it is anything else.

”The new arrangements that restore Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market are not yet fully in place but if Mr Crane can send us the details, we will raise his concerns and explore these matters with the government.”

Mr Crane has now said in response: "It's simple: they are arguing there have always been checks on livestock. I can't speak for cattle, sheep, chickens, or pigs.

"I can speak for horses, and there hadn't been any checks [but] there are now due to Brexit – and they ain't going away.

"So Jeffrey's deal has done nothing for my industry and my business, and by the looks of it, it isn't going to do anything."

When the Northern Ireland Office was contacted, a government spokesperson said “there have been no changes to current processes for the movement of horses” both from GB to NI and vice-versa as a result of the deal with the DUP.

They added: "There have always been unique arrangements for Northern Ireland on live animals – for example WIT numbers have been required in Northern Ireland since 2018.

“We have consistently responded to the sector’s support for continued access to GB and EU markets and the Windsor Framework addresses this.

"We have also minimised requirements for NI registered horses moving between NI and GB and are providing further financial support through the Defra Movement Assistance Scheme."