The UK is considering plans to label meat and dairy products ‘not suitable for the EU’

Ministers are reviewing plans launched by the previous Tory government to label meat and dairy products sold across the UK as “non-EU” as part of a post-Brexit trade deal.

The policy was part of a series of proposals to implement the Windsor Framework, agreed last year to resolve differences between the EU and Britain over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland.

The British government tried to ensure that the same rules applied in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but businesses later called for the plan to be withdrawn, which ‘ warns that it would significantly increase costs.

“Ministers are carefully considering the evidence provided in the recent consultation on ‘non-EU’ labels,” a government spokesman said.

Since last October, companies in England, Scotland and Wales have had to mark meat and some dairy products sent to Northern Ireland as “non-EU”, meaning they cannot importing them into Ireland or other EU countries. hurt

Labeling will be extended to all meat and dairy products sold in the UK from October 1, as part of the Tory government’s “Protect the Union” policy announced in January, which will not cross the Irish Sea. . .

The move comes as Northern Ireland unionists say Northern Ireland faces discriminatory treatment as a result of Brexit, and some companies have stopped supplying to the region citing barriers bureaucratic.

Traditional Unionist Voice MP, Jim Allister, said it was “a clear disregard for the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom to force the islands of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to have different names.”

He said it was “unthinkable” to do anything more than want the same label across the country.

“If this demand is not met, trade between Great Britain (Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom) will be further undermined,” he said, adding: “If the government takes a long-term view and calls for the elimination your borders and look. We want to give the right to vote back to the people of Ireland.”

In the guidance document outlining the “Protection of the Union” agreement, the Government said labeling that only applied to products intended for the Northern Ireland market could be a trade barrier.

“Due to the small size of the market, some suppliers may not be willing to make changes and have decided instead to withdraw their products from the market,” the newspaper says .

A Northern Ireland business source said it was unclear how long the ban would last and there was “no information on how the government intended to ensure the smooth flow of goods within the UK market”. “.

Northern Ireland’s largest political party, the Democratic Unionist Party, declined to comment pending further information.

But the news, first reported in The Guardian newspaper, was welcomed by the food industry, which had previously warned that the government was not providing enough detail about how it would work. ​​​​​​​the plan.

The industry also warned that the added complexity of the new labeling system would burden companies exporting to the EU.

“I am glad that the new government has approached this issue with an open mind. There are certainly issues to be resolved and some flexibility will be required,” said Karen, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, an industry group.・Mr Betts said.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Federation, said the new billing rules would be “very difficult”.

“Without packaging labels from brand owners, retailers would have to go through full border inspections or change their supply chains, adding cost and complexity to the movement of goods,” he said.