Traders in GB moving organic products to Northern Ireland are now eligible for support following the expansion of a government scheme.
The Movement Assistance Scheme, designed to ease the flow of agri-food goods between GB and NI, has expanded.
The scheme means traders do not need to pay certain certification costs for moving these kinds of goods.
Since 1 January 2021, there have been new requirements for inspection and certification when moving agri-food and similar goods from GB to NI.
This includes meeting new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements because Northern Ireland is still in the EU single market for goods.
These SPS requirements include Export Health Certificates and Phytosanitary certificates for specific agri-food goods.
The costs incurred by those certifying the products - now including organic control bodies - will be reimbursed by government up to a set amount.
Defra farming minister Victoria Prentis said: "We want to ensure that people in NI can continue to enjoy a wide range of organic products and that the process of getting these goods to them is as smooth as possible for traders.
"Including the cost of certification for organic agri-food goods in the scheme minimises the impact of the new requirements for traders and means there will still be a variety of choice for consumers."
In January, over 100 organisations signed to up to the scheme, with the costs of over 4,000 export health certificates covered.
