Ireland’s goods imports from Britain fall 53% in February

Ireland’s goods imports from Britain fall 53% in February

DUBLIN - Ireland's goods imports from Britain fell 53% year-on-year in February, data showed on Thursday, a slight easing from the 65% drop seen in January when new post-Brexit trade barriers first came into force.The fall in the value of imports from Britain to 650 million euros ($777.9 million) meant goods coming into Ireland from its larger neighbour represented 10% of the value of total imports in February compared to 21% a year ago.That figure does not include imports from the British region of Northern Ireland, which almost doubled to 283 million euros from 145 million in February 2020.Northern Ireland remains in the European Union's trading orbit under the Brexit withdrawal agreement, and no checks apply on goods crossing its open border with EU member Ireland.The total value of all goods imported fell by 19% on an unadjusted basis compared to pre-pandemic levels a year ago, Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO) said.Freight vehicle movements to Ireland from Britain increased from a low of 1,400 in the first week of January to 7,200 in the final week of February, government data showed last month.That represented a year-on-year decline over the first two months of around 40%. A government spokeswoman said weekly movements