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Brexit food labelling plan shelved
The UK government is postponing its ‘Not for EU’ labelling plan for meat and dairy
The UK government has indefinitely postponed its plans to introduce labels that say ‘Not for EU’ on all meat and dairy products sold across Britain, following warnings that the policy could lead to chaos for producers and suppliers. Originally set to come into effect next month, the plan will now be reviewed.
The policy, developed under the previous Conservative government, aimed to prevent goods from circumventing EU customs checks via Northern Ireland, where labelling requirements have already been in place since October 2023.
However, trade bodies and industry leaders have voiced significant concerns over the potential costs and disruptions this would cause, estimating the financial impact at up to £250 million a year.
These expenses would likely translate to higher prices for consumers, exacerbating the strain on businesses already grappling with uncertainty over whether the new rules would take effect as scheduled.
While a consultation with the business community held earlier this year yielded no public results, the industry remains in limbo, with some retailers already modifying packaging, while others have held back due to the lack of clarity.
It has meant that some shops stocking British goods in Spain have seen stock of certain meat and dairy products fall as they cannot be sold within EU borders.
Now, calls from industry groups to delay or scrap the policy have now prompted the government to reconsider.
Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, welcomed the postponement, emphasising that the move would have added significant costs and created logistical headaches for businesses.
The aim of the initiative was to ensure that there was no cross-contamination of certain UK-destined food products with EU ones, which are subject to stricter controls.
The government has stated that it will continue to assess the evidence and work with businesses to ensure that any future changes protect the UK internal market without causing unnecessary disruption.
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