The Irish government has confirmed that it is advertising a £3.4m contract to recruit vets to carry out animal inspections in the event of a potential no-deal Brexit.
However, it still remains unclear whether any checks could take place at the Irish border. Northern Ireland has already recruited additional vets and has said further appointments are planned.
Current EU law says animal products including livestock must be inspected at the point they enter the single market.
According to a statement sent to BBC News by Ireland's Department of Agriculture, if extra vets are needed, they are likely to be deployed at Dublin and Rosslare Ports. Responding to this news, Aurelie Moralis, the President of the Northern Ireland branch of the British Veterinary Association said: "We could see a surge in demand for border checks on animals and animal products."
It is believed that depending on demand, the Irish Government also has contingency plans for veterinary inspectors to work at Shannon Airport or possibly elsewhere, as may be deemed necessary. The controversial question remains as to whether inspectors could be posted at the Irish border.
The Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland has reportedly already recruited additional vets designed to assist and prepare for various EU exit scenarios. However the UK government continue to insist that there won't be additional checks on goods being imported from the EU.
It currently remains unclear how both governments will deal with the EU's animal inspection requirements for goods leaving Northern Ireland and entering the Republic of Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit. However, both the UK and Irish governments have repeatedly stated they do not want to see the return of a hard border in Northern Ireland.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
