Boris Johnson is fighting to avoid a sausage trade war with Brussels which could see chilled meats banned from stores in Northern Ireland from the end of this month.
PM Brexit Minister Lord Frost arranges a confrontation with a senior EU official who is threatening to prevent sausages and mince produced in Great Britain are sold in the province.
Calling for common sense from Brussels, Lord Frost says time is running out and threats of legal action and trade retaliation will not help buyers or small businesses in Northern Ireland.
Speaking ahead of the talks, he said: “Today’s historic first meeting of the UK-EU Partnership Council marks an important milestone in our new relationship as sovereign friendly and equal trading partners.
“With the Joint Committee, I hope it will be a productive forum where we can tackle common challenges by working together in a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation.
“The first of these challenges is the damaging impact the Protocol is having on the ground in Northern Ireland.
“Britain’s businesses choose not to sell products in Northern Ireland due to red tape, drugmakers threaten to cut vital supplies, and UK farmers’ chilled meats destined for the Northern Irish market risk to be totally prohibited.
“When I meet Maros Sefcovic later today, my message will be clear: time is running out and practical solutions are needed now for the protocol to work. “
Lord Frost added: “Our first common priority must be to protect the Belfast Agreement (Good Friday) and the peace process.
“I count on the EU to show flexibility and engage in our proposals so that we can find solutions that enjoy the confidence of all communities.”
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-08 20:46:00
