UK’s ‘not for EU’ meat and dairy labelling plan postponed indefinitely
Government plans to force food manufacturers to put “not for EU” labels on all meat and dairy products sold across Britain next month have been indefinitely postponed after warnings that the scheme could cause “chaos” for producers and suppliers.
The government will instead review the policy, which was devised under the Conservative administration. Legislation to implement the changes has yet to be brought in.
The Food and Drink Federation had estimated the cost to the industry of meeting the new labelling requirements at up to £250m a year, and warned that it would increase the price of products for shoppers.
As part of the Windsor framework agreed with the EU last year, all meat and dairy products sent from Britain to be sold in Northern Ireland have since October 2023 had to carry a “not for EU” label.
The measure is designed to prevent goods from bypassing EU controls by being sent to the Republic of Ireland, which does not have a hard border with custom checks on goods coming from Northern Ireland.
The labelling was due to be extended to all meat and dairy products sold in Britain from October, as part of the “safeguarding the union” deal with the Democratic Unionist party that was agreed in January. Fruit and vegetables, fish, and composite food products such as pizza, were intended to be labelled by July 2025.
Read full article Share on twitter