The wurst is over: UK and EU strike ‘sausage war’ truce
The UK has today agreed a three month grace period for the export of chilled meats to Northern Ireland with the EU as the two sides reached a truce in the so-called “sausage war”.
The extension means that Northern Ireland consumers will be able to continue buying chilled meat products from Great Britain until 30 September.
That gives the two sides more time for further discussions to continue on a permanent solution, the government said in a statement.
The truce was a “good first step”, Lord Frost, the Cabinet Minister in charge of the UK’s trading relationship with the EU said, but showed the need for a permanent solution.
His opposite number Maroš Šefčovič said the EU had “spared no effort” in trying to find an answer to the problem, which had led to growing tensions in Northern Ireland.
Johnson had previously threatened to flout the ban on chilled meat exports and unilaterally trigger Article 16, which would suspend the Northern Ireland Protocol. This triggered outcry from unionists in the region.
The bloc also offered solutions to allow the free movement of other goods such as medicines between Britain and Northern Ireland in a bid to calm the flames.
Under the terms of the extension, it added, the UK will not have to align with EU agrifood standards, which the bloc had suggested as a way round the impasse.
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But such imports will be subject to strict conditions, with meat products to be accompanied by official health certificates issued by UK authorities, and only for sale to end consumers in supermarkets located in Northern Ireland.
In a statement this afternoon Frost said: “We are pleased we have been able to agree a sensible extension on chilled meats moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland – one that does not require rules in the rest of the UK to align with future changes in EU agrifood rules.
“This is a positive first step but we still need to agree a permanent solution – 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.
“This is a very clear sign that the Protocol has to be operated in a pragmatic and proportionate way. The chilled meats issue is only one of a very large number of problems with the way the Protocol is currently operating, and solutions need to be found with the EU to ensure it delivers on its original aims: to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, safeguard Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom, and protect the EU’s single market for goods.
“We look to work energetically with the EU to do so”, he finished.
In addition to extending the waiver, the bloc will also make it easier for medicines and guide dogs to cross the Irish Sea and allow Northern Irish drivers to travel to Ireland with existing insurance documents.
Šefčovič, the EU’s co-chair of the Joint Committee, said: “Our work is about ensuring that the hard-earned gains of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement – peace and stability in Northern Ireland – are protected, while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and maintaining the integrity of the EU Single Market.
“Therefore, we have spared no effort in trying to mitigate some of the challenges that have arisen in the implementation of the Protocol. Today’s package of practical solutions clearly demonstrates that we are firm on implementation but continue to work hard for the benefit of the people in Northern Ireland.”