The Agriculture Minister says "we all knew Brexit could only present challenges" in North-South relationships.
Some checks on animal products moving from Britain to ports in Belfast and Larne are still suspended over fears of staff safety after graffiti appeared in Loyalist areas which opposed the Irish Sea border.
While Deputy McConalogue says this is a "concerning development", he added the Northern Ireland Protocol is necessary to navigate the "very complicated situation of Brexit".
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The DUP has since called on Unionists to campaign for the Protocol to be scrapped.
Speaking on The Joe Finnegan Show, Minister McConalogue said it's important that politicians "dial down any tensions" that have arisen this week:
