There are approximately 100 lorries per day crossing the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and cross-border trade represents 0.5% of UK-EU trade.
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report on the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland describes how this regime allows goods to107 pass across the border currently and the possible effects of the UK leaving the Single Market: [...] 111.The trade in live cattle and sheep, and beef and lamb across the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border takes place on a daily basis, with approximately 390,000 live lambs crossing the border annually. The Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 267 Northern Irish Affairs Select Committee, 2nd Report – The land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, HC 329, 16 March 2018, para 43 268 Institute for Government, ‘The Irish border after Brexit’, Tim Durrant & Alex Stojanovic, June 2018 told us that the Northern Ireland sheep industry was particularly exposed to the effects of more complicated border arrangements, with approximately 45% of all lambs born in Northern Ireland exported to the Republic of Ireland each year. In 2016, the value of this live trade was approximately £31.5 million. 112.The dairy industries in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland act as one through the supply chain, and dairy products cross the border several times between the farm gate and the consumer. Republic of Ireland dairy co-operatives own approximately 60% of the processing capacity in Northern Ireland. Exports to the Republic of Ireland were approximately 15% of total sales of the Northern Ireland dairy industry in 2015.