The EU Extends the Grace Period for British Chilled Meat Exports

Meat

United Kingdom

Ireland

Published Jul 12, 2021

On the 30th of June 2021, the EU agreed to a ceasefire with the UK in a post-Brexit dispute labeled as the "sausage war" by lengthening the grace period for shipments of certain meat products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland for three months. During the same period, the EU will also allow Northern Irish drivers to travel to the Republic of Ireland with existing insurance papers. These allowances have been designed to ease tensions between the EU and the UK following Brexit.

Grace period to last three months

The grace period on chilled meat products was initially expected to end on the 1st of July 2021. By that date, British non-frozen sausages or mince would have been restricted from crossing the Irish Sea due to the import restriction of the EU on the products from third countries, including Britain. However, the UK requested a three-month extension to enable both sides to resolve the trade difficulties over Northern Ireland, which has faced disruption since Brexit at the end of 2020. In response, the European Commission stated that the three-month period should be the final opportunity and used for supermarkets to establish different supplies of meat products or for the UK to accept an EU proposal to maintain aligned public, animal, and plant health standards.

According to the European Commission, the agreement could see 80% of required checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea removed. However, the deal could be temporary until the UK sealed a trade deal with the US, or it might be applicable for a limited range of products. This extension will permit mainland British manufacturers to continue to export products such as mince, pies, and sausages to Northern Ireland supermarkets until September.

Extension remains part of Northern Ireland protocol

The arrangement is under the umbrella of the Northern Ireland protocol. This protocol was implemented as a delicate balance between keeping the province's border with the EU member state, the Republic of Ireland while preventing goods from entering the EU's single market unchecked across that frontier. The Protocol is included in the Brexit deal, which keeps Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods. Generally, the EU does not permit chilled meat imports like mince and sausages from non-member states. As a result, since January 2021, British producers have been unable to sell these products in the EU. However, under the agreement reached in December 2020, the EU allowed a six-month grace period to enable supermarkets in Northern Ireland to re-orientate supply chains away from the UK. This protocol keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods, but this requires controls on goods arriving from mainland UK.

Britain threatens further extension

The UK acknowledges that the three-month extension is a positive step but continues to seek a permanent solution. The EU has also warned the UK that it is losing patience regarding implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol. Therefore, any such move to extend the Protocol's grace period would lead to the EU protecting its interests and the Withdrawal Agreement.