Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney attends press conference with his German counterpart (unseen) in Berlin, Germany, Dec 11, 2020. (FABRIZIO BENSCH / POOL / AFP)

LONDON - Food supply problems in Northern Ireland are due to Brexit because there are now a certain amount of checks on goods going between Britain and Northern Ireland, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.

British ministers have sought to play down the disruption of Brexit in recent days

British ministers have sought to play down the disruption of Brexit in recent days.

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“The supermarket shelves were full before Christmas and there are some issues now in terms of supply chains and so that’s clearly a Brexit issue,” Coveney told ITV.

English and Irish cheeses are seen on sale in Sawers Deli in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Jan 15, 2021. (PAUL FAITH / AFP)

The Northern Irish protocol means there are “a certain amount of checks on goods coming from GB into Northern Ireland and that involves some disruption,” he said.