CCF says cross-border trade ‘not a priority’ for Brexit negotiators
The Cold Chain Federation has responded to the EU’s three-month postponement of the ban on British chilled meat sales in Northern Ireland.
Shane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, said: “Three more months of the same standoff is not going to boost trader confidence or make anyone’s lives genuinely easier.
“This further delay in finding a lasting solution shows just how far the people trying to carry on cross-border business are from being a priority concern for UK and EU negotiators.
“It’s depressing”
“Many GB food businesses have already made the decision to stop supplying into NI, and many others have restructured their supply chains. Northern Ireland is a market that most small English, Welsh and Scottish food producers can’t afford to serve, and today’s announcements won’t change that.
“Nothing in these words hints at genuine progress towards a workable permanent solution to the barriers to trade between GB and NI. The EU is essentially restating its long held position that this trade should be as difficult as possible, and the UK that there are some magical IT fixes that will make the problems go away. It’s depressing.”
Rob Smith is new PTF chairman
EU extends grace period for British meat sales in NI
