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The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said the British government’s decision to unilaterally extend grace periods for food imports to Northern Ireland was “deeply unhelpful”.<\/p>\nThe Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said the British government’s decision to unilaterally extend grace periods for food imports to Northern Ireland was “deeply unhelpful”.<\/p>\n
Announced as part of the UK’s budget today, Britain has extended a grace period for some checks on agricultural and food products heading to Northern Ireland until October 1st in a bid to ease trade frictions since its exit from the European Union.<\/p>\n
Speaking today, the UK’s Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis said Certification requirements will be introduced in phases alongside the rollout of a digital assistance scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs part of the pragmatic and proportionate implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the government is taking several temporary operational steps to avoid disruptive cliff-edges as engagement with the EU continues through the Joint Committee,” he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese recognize that appropriate time must be provided for businesses to implement new requirements and support the effective flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor supermarkets and their suppliers, as part of the operational plan the UK committed to at the UK-EU Joint Committee on February 24th, the current Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland (STAMNI) will continue until October 1st.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertification requirements will then be introduced in phases alongside the roll out of the digital assistance scheme,\u201d Mr Lewis said.<\/p>\n
However, the decision was not warmly received by Mr Coveney, who said the UK’s decision undermines the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n
“A unilateral announcement is deeply unhelpful to building the relationship of trust and partnership that is central to the implementation of the Protocol,” a statement from the Minister read.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met earlier today with [Mr Lewis] and with the cabinet office minister now responsible for EU-UK relations Lord Frost. I made clear to them my regret that the UK had moved in a unilateral way, rather than working in continued partnership with the EU in accordance with the EU-UK joint statements of 11 and 24 February,” Mr Coveney added.<\/p>\n
The European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has also said he will speak to Lord Frost to raise \u201cstrong concerns\u201d about the UK\u2019s actions. – Thomson-Reuters<\/strong><\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>