Taoiseach Micheal Martin has admitted he is concerned about the potential knock-on effect of Brexit on Ireland's supply chain.
Shops and experts have been warning in recent weeks that people should do their Christmas shopping early to avoid disappointment - and speaking today in New York, the Fianna Fail leader shared those concerns.
Mr Martin said: "I’ve been concerned for a long time in relation to Brexit. I think Covid has masked a lot of the issues around Brexit. Now we've managed to weather some of the storm because of the preparation, and we prepared well, and also because we're opening up links to Europe and so on.
“But I've picked up from SMEs, for example, in Ireland, that they're finding the lead times now for ordering goods and getting goods into the country is much longer than it would have been before Brexit. SMEs within Britain, British SMEs, are finding it difficult in terms of access into European markets.
“So I think the fallout has yet to come in terms of Brexit and I think, you know, if we could take the politics away from it, I think everybody, including the UK, need to reflect on how it's working because we owe it to those at the frontline of industry and business, that systems run smoothly."
Speaking to the Irish Mirror earlier this week, Kevin Brady, of freight company the Woodland Group, predicted more disruption beyond Christmas. He said: “The impact on the industry and long-term effect is putting significant pressure on everyone importing from Asia and connected supply chains.
“Our Asia teams expect no real let-up on container pricing or current challenges until at least the second quarter of next year.
“There is no quick fix, and we can expect current levels to carry on through to at least Chinese New Year.”
