FILE PHOTO: Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 28, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Irish government on Wednesday agreed to hire 1,000 customs and veterinary officials to deal with new trade rules between Britain and Ireland that are likely to come into effect once Britain’s Brexit transition deal ends in March 2021, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.

In the event of a “no-deal” hard Brexit, which Varadkar described as unlikely, the government will make contingency arrangements, he told journalists.

“We do think that, with Brexit now eight months away and growing uncertainty about whether it will be possible to get a withdrawal agreement through Westminster, that we do need to change the gear and up our preparations when it comes to Brexit,” Varadkar said.