A High Court in Belfast has ruled Brexit food checks on farm products entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain will continue pending a judicial review of an order made by Stormont’s Agriculture Minister.
Justice Colton said he was suspending the order, or the instruction given by the Minister of Agriculture, Edwin Poots, until further notice.
Colton has also granted leave for an application for judicial reviews against the minister’s decision.
The ruling means checks at the border will not be scrapped before the end of February, when EU and British officials are due to resolve negotiations on easing trade restrictions.
READ MORE: Firms hit by new Brexit import rules, FSB warns
“There shouldn’t be any confusion hanging over those in the civil service, so I am persuaded this is a case where there should be interim relief,” Colton said.
“I therefore make the order to suspend the instruction given by the minister for agriculture until further order of this court.”
Poots took the decision to order officials to cease checks on Wednesday and demanded an immediate halt on agricultural goods coming into the region.
His decision was part of the wider DUP protest against Brexit checks which lead to the first minister Paul Givan’s resignation from his post.
Poot’s move has been described by an EU commissioner as a breach on international law.
Currently, Brexit food checks will continue until at least 7 March – when the next hearing is set to take place.
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