The United Kingdom has asked the European Union for an additional three-month extension in the ‘sausage war’ regarding customs checks on the import of chilled meat products into Northern Ireland.
The previously granted extension expires at the end of this month, after which meat exports will no longer be possible without customs control. The UK now wants to find a solution before September 30.
Following Brexit, the UK no longer adheres to EU regulations for food safety and other standards for dairy and meat products. As a result, chilled British meat can no longer be sold in Northern Ireland because the Brexit agreement stipulates that (the British province) Northern Ireland remains part of the (tax-free) European customs territory.
This agreement has placed the UK-EU customs border in the Irish Sea to prevent the reintroduction of border barriers, gates, and customs posts between Ireland and Northern Ireland. After the bloody Northern Irish civil war, the Brits and Northern Irish agreed on 'never again a hard border on Irish soil.'
The British insist that it concerns only ‘Britain-to-Britain transport’ of British sausages, but the EU says it involves the import of (non-EU inspected) British meat crossing the customs border. The dispute flared up last week when British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the EU is trying to treat Northern Ireland as if it is not part of the United Kingdom.
The EU said it is considering the extension request but reiterated that the only real solution is for the UK to fully accept the terms agreed upon by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year. “There is no alternative to the protocol,” said a European Commission spokesperson.
Last week, Brexit Minister Frost threatened that 'all options are back on the table' if no solution is found. Whether this also includes Article 16 – a sort of emergency stop that both parties can activate – is not yet clear.