United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020

11 Modifications in connection with the Northern Ireland Protocol

(1) The United Kingdom market access principles for goods apply, in relation to the sale of goods in a part of the United Kingdom other than Northern Ireland, with the following modifications.

(For provision affecting the application of those principles in relation to the sale of goods in Northern Ireland, see, in particular, the Northern Ireland Protocol and sections 7A, 7C and 8C of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.)

(2) The mutual recognition principle for goods applies in relation to all qualifying Northern Ireland goods as if they were produced in, or imported into, Northern Ireland.

(3) That principle does not apply in relation to goods produced in, or imported into, Northern Ireland that are not qualifying Northern Ireland goods, unless subsection (4) applies.

(4) If goods falling within subsection (3) are moved in a way that would, but for the fact that Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, amount for the purposes of the mutual recognition principle for goods to the importation of the goods into England, Scotland or Wales, the goods are to be regarded for the purposes of that principle as having been so imported.

(5) Goods that are not qualifying Northern Ireland goods do not have a relevant connection with Northern Ireland for the purposes of the non-discrimination principle for goods (despite section 5(4)).

(6) Subsection (7) applies for the purposes of paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 in a case where Northern Ireland is the “affected part” within the meaning of sub-paragraph (2) of that paragraph.

(7) In determining whether the condition in sub-paragraph (3) of that paragraph is met, a pest or disease is to be taken to be present in Northern Ireland if it is, or may be, present in qualifying Northern Ireland goods (including when the goods are in Great Britain).

(8) In this section “qualifying Northern Ireland goods” has the same meaning as in section 47.