Port Health / Imported Foods

The EU Exit transition period ended on 31 December 2020. Under the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland continues to follow EU rules for goods and customs.

From 1 January 2021, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, working with DAERA, now runs an EU-approved Point of Entry (POE) at Warrenpoint Port. This POE is allowed to carry out checks on specific categories of goods entering Northern Ireland.

Under the Protocol, Northern Ireland must follow EU rules on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. This means that SPS goods can only enter Northern Ireland through approved Points of Entry. These are each set to check certain types of goods.

Our Duties at Warrenpoint Point of Entry

We are responsible for:

Carrying out checks on High Risk Food Not of Animal Origin (HRFNAO)
Checking Fish and Fishery Products for Human Consumption
Checking Plastic Kitchenware Originating in China and Hong Kong
Endorsing Organic Imports
Overseeing the import of certain foods arriving into Warrenpoint
Verifying fish and fishery imports under Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Regulation

Why These Checks Are Important

Food law requires that all food sold in Northern Ireland is safe to eat. Some products entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain (GB) or from countries outside the EU are under special controls at the port.

These rules apply whether the goods are for:

Personal use
Retail sale
Use within a food business

They help protect human health, animal health, and consumer confidence.

If goods do not meet these rules, they may be sent back (re-exported) or destroyed, and the importer must pay the costs.

Originally, these controls applied only to food and animal feed. Now they also apply to materials that come into contact with food, such as plastic kitchenware.

Products of Animal Origin (POAO)

DAERA carries out checks on Products of Animal Origin, including checks on retail goods entering Northern Ireland.
More information is available at: Importing Food Products of Animal Origin (POAO) and information on Retail goods.

Email: porthealth@nmandd.org

Telephone: 028 9442 6824