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More than 150 lorry drivers have staged a protest at the Irish border in a bid to highlight the importance of free-flowing movement.<\/p>\nMore than 150 lorry drivers have staged a protest at the Irish border in a bid to highlight the importance of free-flowing movement.<\/p>\n
A convoy of trucks made their way from Donegal and crossed the border into Co Derry.<\/p>\n
Truck drivers taking part said they want to show how the free movement of freight is vital to businesses and trade.<\/p>\n
The protest was brought to a standstill at the main border route, as hundreds of drivers and their supporters turned out to \u201cshow the world\u201d what custom checks and infrastructure would look like.<\/p>\n
There are about 13,800 border crossings every day between Ireland and the North.<\/p>\n
George Mills, from the Irish Road Haulage Association, said: \u201cWe don\u2019t have to fill out any documentation or electronics or otherwise to cross this border, which we need to do every day of the week because of where we live.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t go anywhere without crossing the border, even to do our business with Dublin.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Brexit we will be crossing an EU\/non-EU frontier and that\u2019s going to create so many problems.<\/p>\n
“We want to show the world how easy it is now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people of the UK don\u2019t seem to regard the border as important.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly 2% of their trade crosses this border, but it\u2019s nearly 100% of our trade that has to cross this border, so it\u2019s a big concern to us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to go back to any form of regulation that impacts that form of free movement of traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur nearest port is Derry and Belfast, and they must bring up all our oil, coal, gas, animal feed, timber, coal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nearest alternative is 200 miles away in Co Limerick that can handle that amount of cargo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a ship load of coal comes into Derry and it\u2019s bound for a non-EU country it could possibly be of a different grade or quality than coal coming into a EU country.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow will they divide that coal or animal feed? It will cause a lot more problems than they realize.\u201d<\/p>\n
Truck driver Tom Doherty said it is important to show what a hard border would look like.<\/p>\n
Mr Doherty, 57, who travels to Dublin every day from the Inishowen area to deliver fruit, vegetables and potatoes, said truck drivers would face \u201cchaos\u201d and \u201cmayhem\u201d at custom checks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did it up to 1990 and it wasn\u2019t nice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to go back to those days of queuing at the border.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also don\u2019t know what tariffs we will have to pay on potatoes. If I want to avoid crossing the border we have to go by Sligo, and it\u2019s an extra three hours driving.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho will foot the extra cost? The farmer, customers or me?<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t want a border, full stop. The younger generation don\u2019t know what it is going to be like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Doherty, who has been driving trucks for 30 years, is also concerned about the impact on the number of young people who want to work in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not going to want to sit at the border for hours and I wouldn\u2019t expect them to,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n