Food and Drink Federation response to the UK Government's proposal to the EU for a new Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland
3 October 2019
Food and Drink Federation response to the UK Government's proposal to the EU for a new Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland
FDF has issued the following press notice:
In response to the UK Government's proposal to the EU for a new Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, Food and Drink Federation Chief Executive Ian Wright CBE said:
“FDF applauds the Government's attempt to find a creative replacement for the backstop. Unfortunately these proposals don't work for shoppers and consumers. That's because they ask food and drink businesses operating in Northern Ireland to pay - through new bureaucracy and costs - for the Government's inability to agree a comprehensive exit deal. As a consequence shoppers in Northern Ireland will face higher prices and poorer choice.”
“It is a fallacy to suggest that there would be a small number of physical checks on food travelling across the Irish border. Ireland is the UK food and drink industry's largest export market. More than half of all poultry, and fresh produce would require physical checks, with samples taken and sent to a laboratory. Only a deal which maintains frictionless trade across the North-South and East-West routes will protect choice and availability for UK shoppers and consumers.”
More Information
Contact Megan Bevan, Corporate Affairs Division, at: Megan.Bevan@fdf.org.uk, or 07525717882.
