DUP minister Edwin Poots has said he is seeking a "full explanation" over how his officials resumed recruiting post-Brexit Irish Sea border staff without approval.
The Agriculture Minister said the recruitment exercise has now been halted "as no authorisation was given".
Last month Gordon Lyons - who had stepped in as minister while Mr Poots recovered from cancer surgery - instructed the Stormont department to stop recruiting border control post staff.
However, on Monday it advertised for agriculture inspectors to work at ports and airports in Northern Ireland, the News Letter reported.
Mr Poots said he became aware on Wednesday of a decision by officials to recruit additional border control staff.
He tweeted: "This recruitment exercise will not continue as no authorisation was given for it. I am seeking a full explanation as to how this happened."
The minister reiterated the department would "not be investing further in port inspection facilities" until there was clarity from the British government on post-Brexit arrangements.
The move by Mr Lyons was seen as part of the DUP's efforts to oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol which governs trade between the region and Britain post-Brexit.
In a statement the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said it issued an advertisement on Monday to recruit agricultural inspectors.
A spokeswoman said: "Those staff would be deployed across a range of duties and locations, for example, sampling animals for animal disease control or investigating standards of animal welfare.
"The advertisement issued incorrectly specified that new staff would be solely located to the Points of Entry.
"The department has now withdrawn the recruitment exercise until further notice."
She added: "Ministers are not involved in routine recruitment and therefore the minister was unaware of this advert being placed.
"In line with the instruction from the previous minister, and good governance, the department will not be investing in staff for permanent portal facilities ahead of further clarity from the UK government and consideration by the Northern Ireland Executive."
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