Legal proceedings could soon be initiated by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) to compel DAERA minister Edwin Poots to meet Protocol port check requirements.
The call in of Cllr Bara Ó Muirí's (SF) February motion was debated behind closed doors on Tuesday night.
It could now see NMDDC join with Belfast City Council in advancing a court case to address Mr Poots' alleged failure to comply with an international treaty and legal obligations negotiated by the British government with the EU.
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Mournes councillor, Henry Reilly (Ind-unionist) argued for this week's debate to be opened to the media as "there is public interest in this matter".
However, Slieve Gullion councillor, David Taylor (UUP) alluded to further matters needing to be raised that required confidentiality including advice from NMDDC's legal team.
A majority vote agreed a closed session at the Downshire Civic Centre headquarters.
It is the ambition of any potential legal move to force the agriculture minister, who remains in office until a new Executive is in place, to comply with 'protocol requirements, subject to any current derogations in the grace period'.
A spokesperson for NMDDC said: "It was agreed by a qualified majority vote that the notice of motion from the full council meeting held on 7th February 2022 proceeds with equality screening."
Councils use an equality impact assessment (EQIA) to do what is considered to be a thorough and systematic analysis of each of their policies making sure they promote equality.
It involves nine categories as follows, religious belief, political opinion, racial groups, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, disability, and dependency.
Mr Poots had ordered his officials in February to halt Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland's ports.
The decision was then suspended by a high court judge until a judicial review against the DUP minister’s decision can be heard in full.
The agriculture minister's instructions were not carried out by his officials, pending legal clarity on their obligations.
The protocol was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland by placing checks on some goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Unionists say this has harmed businesses and threatens Northern Ireland's place in the UK.
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