The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has pledged its support to the Government's efforts to tackle illegal immigration and the resulting problems facing hauliers.
The IRHA today agreed with the Departments of Justice and Public Enterprise on a voluntary code of practice to stop illegal immigrants hiding in hauliers' vehicles.
IRHA spokesman Mr Gerry McMahon told ireland.comthis evening although the situation in Ireland is "not so bad" there is a genuine problem for hauliers travelling from the Continent to the UK.
He said the UK's "draconian" legislation, which "more or less implies that you are guilty until proven innocent", means a haulier will be fined £1,000 per illegal immigrant found in the vehicle.
Although not opposed to fair legislation to combat the problem, Mr McMahon said he would not like to see similar measures become law in Ireland.
The voluntary set of principles, which will come into operation today, include
- checking vehicles before the start of a journey, after it stops and before embarking on a ship bound for Ireland;
- securing the vehicle against covert entry;
- encouraging the use of facilities for checking for covert passengers (such as carbon dioxide detectors, infrared detectors and x-ray).
Mr McMahon said it also was important for hauliers' safety to adhere to the measures. "Some of the immigrants found are very frustrated people and can become violent," he said.
The Minister for Justice Mr O'Donoghue welcomed the IRHA support and said it came at an appropriate time.
He said today's agreement was made nearly a year to the day since 58 Chinese men and women who paid to be smuggled into the UK lost their lives in "appalling circumstances" while trying to escape from a sealed container lorry in Dover.
Mr O'Donoghue said all EU countries were potential targets for "international criminal gangs who seek to exploit the needs of desperate people".