A cross border group of zoos and aquariums has called on politicians to sort out animal transfer issues caused by Brexit.
The joint-letter urges the Taoiseach, the British Prime Minister and other named political figures to come to an agreement to allow the flow of animals.
It says delays at the border mean it simply is not possible to transfer animals, because it would be a health risk to keep them in storage for so long.
Nicky Needham, Senior Manager at the British - Irish Association of zoos and aquariums, says the numbers have crashed since pre-Brexit times:
"Before Brexit we would expect to see about 1400 transfers of animals between UK and the EU and in both directions. Over these last two years, we've seen 46, and we're now looking at 50s for this years number of transfers, so really this is not sustainable long term. This is why we are so urgently calling for discussions to start around an SPS agreement."
