EU STEWS UK FOR INSISTING ON SAUSAGE EXPORTS TO NORTHERN IRELAND

Tensions with Brussels over the Northern Ireland border threaten to spiral out of control as crunch talks take place on Wednesday, with the two sides at loggerheads over the implementation of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, Andrew Woodcock reported for The Independent.

The threat of the “sausage wars” drew nearer, as Brexit minister David Frost demanded “flexibility” from the EU and warned that “time is short” to avert a ban on the export of chilled meat products from the British mainland – currently due to come into effect at the end of June.

The row has broken out just days before Mr. Johnson’s first face-to-face talks with US president Joe Biden on Thursday, who has previously warned the UK not to allow Brexit to destabilize the Northern Irish peace process.

UK sources made clear that it is ready unilaterally to extend a “grace period” for trade in products like sausages and mince, despite warnings from Brussels that this could trigger tariffs or quotas on British goods under the terms of the deal agreed in 2019.

With the EU already pursuing legal action over unilateral breaches of the protocol by the Johnson administration, European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said Brussels would “not be shy in reacting swiftly, firmly and resolutely to ensure that the UK abides by its international law obligations.”

But Lord Frost put the onus on the EU to make concessions, declaring that the bloc needed to “show flexibility and engage with our proposals.” Johnson and Lord Frost have resisted an EU proposal for dynamic alignment of sanitary regulations for food products, which they fear would block potential future trade deals with countries like the US where standards are lower.

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