Northern Ireland Protocol: Food

(asked on 28th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will list all the food products that are currently blocked from entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 2nd February 2022

The vast majority of food products can currently move from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI). However, there are various products affected by EU prohibitions and restrictions which apply on movements from GB to NI due to the Northern Ireland Protocol. This includes bans on specific products, such as mechanically separated meat, Live and Un-depurated Live bivalve Mussels from class b and class c waters and seed potatoes.

POAO goods moving from GB to NI must be accompanied with an Export Health Certificate, unless it moves under STAMNI (Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland). The UK has been successful in achieving a derogation from the EU prohibition on chilled meat. Under our Unilateral Declaration chilled meat may continue to move from GB into NI using model health certificates while we work with the EU on a more sustainable solution. [ Declaration by the United Kingdom on Meat Products: 30 June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]

There are also certifications for products regulated for plant health purposes, such as most fruit and vegetables, which must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate. All fresh produce is covered by STAMNI and moves without plant health paperwork. However, not all traders are eligible for STAMNI.

This is not sustainable, and it is an example of the bottom line that the Protocol is not working. We are proposing a common-sense solution: goods going to the EU should go through regulatory checks and customs formalities, and those staying in the United Kingdom should not. That means no checks or documentation for goods moving from GB to NI and staying there.

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