diff --git a/controller/api/destination/server.go b/controller/api/destination/server.go
index 1f7ef3e4d..275749592 100644
--- a/controller/api/destination/server.go
+++ b/controller/api/destination/server.go
@@ -210,7 +210,6 @@ func (s *server) GetProfile(dest *pb.GetDestination, stream pb.Destination_GetPr
 					Namespace: pod.Namespace,
 					Name:      pod.Name,
 				}
-				err := watcher.SetPodOpaquePortAnnotation(s.k8sAPI, pod, pod.Namespace)
 				if err != nil {
 					log.Errorf("failed to set opaque port annotation on pod: %s", err)
 				}
diff --git a/controller/api/destination/watcher/endpoints_watcher.go b/controller/api/destination/watcher/endpoints_watcher.go
index 4df6a7ce4..8ea8ab6bb 100644
--- a/controller/api/destination/watcher/endpoints_watcher.go
+++ b/controller/api/destination/watcher/endpoints_watcher.go
@@ -805,7 +805,6 @@ func (pp *portPublisher) endpointsToAddresses(endpoints *corev1.Endpoints) Addre
 					pp.log.Errorf("Unable to create new address:%v", err)
 					continue
 				}
-				err = SetPodOpaquePortAnnotation(pp.k8sAPI, address.Pod, endpoints.Namespace)
 				if err != nil {
 					pp.log.Errorf("failed to set opaque port annotation on pod: %s", err)
 				}
@@ -1091,22 +1090,3 @@ func isValidSlice(es *discovery.EndpointSlice) bool {
 
 	return true
 }
-
-// SetPodOpaquePortAnnotation ensures that if there is no opaque port
-// annotation on the pod, then it inherits the annotation from the namespace.
-// If there is also no annotation on the namespace, then it remains unset.
-func SetPodOpaquePortAnnotation(k8sAPI *k8s.API, pod *corev1.Pod, ns string) error {
-	if _, ok := pod.Annotations[consts.ProxyOpaquePortsAnnotation]; !ok {
-		ns, err := k8sAPI.NS().Lister().Get(ns)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to get namespace annotation: %s", err)
-		}
-		if annotation, ok := ns.Annotations[consts.ProxyOpaquePortsAnnotation]; ok {
-			if pod.Annotations == nil {
-				pod.Annotations = make(map[string]string)
-			}
-			pod.Annotations[consts.ProxyOpaquePortsAnnotation] = annotation
-		}
-	}
-	return nil
-}