A truce has been reached to delay a ban on the sale of chilled meats across the Irish Sea – but it will last only until the end of September.
The deal with the EU will force the UK to abide by Brussels’ food standards rules, but the UK government does not amount to the “dynamic alignment” it opposes.
Ministers believe the agreement “allows for further discussions to continue on a permanent solution” to end the so-called ‘sausage wars’
But the EU is expected to insist that the three-month period must be used to arrange for retailers to obtain meats from the Republic of Ireland, as agreed in the Northern Ireland Protocol – and that the UK agrees.
“This is a positive first step but we still need to agree a permanent solution,” said Brexit minister David Frost.
“Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom and its consumers should be able to enjoy products they have bought from Great Britain for years.”
But the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium – while welcoming the agreement – dismissed it as “a peripheral matter”.
“The most pressing issue is the fate of the thousands of food products moving daily from GB to NI, which will be subject to extensive controls when that grace period ends in October,” said director Aodhán Connolly
“We are no closer to a decision by both sides on this.”
