BMPA responds to government NI Protocol proposals
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has reacted to the latest update surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, stating that companies were coping with the current trading conditions and that a decision to walk away from the protocol is “firmly a political issue.”
The Foreign Secretary Liz Truss recently outlined the government’s plans for primary legislation to address elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The legislation details plans to reduce the presence of the European Court of Justice and to scrap post-Brexit checks on goods from the UK arriving in Northern Ireland.
Speaking to Times Radio ahead of the government’s announcement, chief executive of the BMPA Nick Allen explained that mainstream meat industry suppliers who have operations in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland are coping with the bureaucracy. He said: “Whatever [the UK government] decide to do about the protocol, don’t use the food sector as reason for doing it – we’re coping.”
He added that government must “be very clear that it’s being done for political reasons.”
Following Nick Allen’s interview, Defra Minister Victoria Prentis MP said: “Nick is somebody I work very closely with, and I do always listen to what he has to say. It’s clear to me that there are differences of opinion about how well the protocol is working and that we must go really sensitively and carefully through the next stages of these negotiations with the EU.
“Nick’s right on many counts. We have worked very hard to make things work for the food industry.”
Prentis added that it was important that both the UK and Northern Irish governments show “a real practical willingness to sort this out.”
A political issue
Commenting on the proposed legislation, the BMPA said that while it was “inevitable” that the Northern Ireland Protocol would introduce some extra bureaucracy, it also provides “the mechanism to deal with the practical issues of moving goods on the ground.”
It said: “While it would be preferable not to have the extra friction, we understand that the new trading environment demands it. We also know that the current system is far more preferable to the kind of trade war that could be sparked if the UK decides to unilaterally walk away from the agreement.
“So, from an industry perspective, the NI Protocol is working, and the decision on whether or not to walk away from it is firmly a political issue. If there is one thing we would ask of government, it’s that it steps up the development and implementation of the promised technological solutions to facilitate smoother border crossings for goods.”
UK food industry employment sees strong growth
NPA demands more from supply chain and government
