Reacting to confirmation that the grace period for chilled meats from Great Britain being sold into Northern Ireland has been extended for three months, Ulster Unionist Party Leader Doug Beattie MC MLA said:
“I have requested a meeting with the UK Government negotiating team to nail down exactly what has been agreed between the UK Government and the EU. The EU continues to state that it ‘will allow stakeholders, and especially supermarkets in Northern Ireland, to continue to adapt their supply chains to the post-Brexit situation - something yet to be completed.’ What does the UK Government understand this to mean?
“Clarity is urgently needed. If the EU believes that expecting UK supermarkets to pivot away from their GB supply chains to the EU is an acceptable solution then they need to be told that it is not.
“The UK Government needs to ensure that there is no further divergence in trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. So many other issues remain unresolved and we need to see a greater sense of urgency in addressing them. Northern Ireland cannot afford to wait for the slow wheels of bureaucracy to turn.”