First ‘not for EU’ labels appear at Asda’s Northern Ireland stores

‘Not for EU’ labels have started to appear on food products at supermarkets in Northern Ireland, including at Asda.

The labels, which are due to be introduced in October across meat and dairy products travelling to Northern Ireland, are rolling out as a result of the Windsor Framework – a post-Brexit trade deal between Great Britain and Northern Ireland meant to simplify movement of goods, including food, between the two countries.

However, the ‘not for EU’ labels have been seen on own-brand meat products at Asda, ahead of the deadline in coming months, the BBC reported.

If you squint you can see Asda has begun a soft roll-out of ‘Not for EU’ labelling in its NI stores. This will be a requirement for some GB-NI food products using the Windsor Framework green lane from October. pic.twitter.com/V8cbKhnxMZ

— JPCampbellBiz (@JP_Biz) August 22, 2023

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While the labels aim to allow for an easy flow of goods across the Irish border by keeping Northern Ireland inside the EU single market, the move has complicated trading from Great Britain to the country.

Under the framework, all retail food and drink in the internal UK market will need to meet public health and safety standards, with GB traders sending food to Northern Ireland unlikely to face routine checks.

However, to assure the EU that products will not wrongly enter its single market, ‘not for EU’ labels have recently been introduced for certain retail goods, leaving many businesses concerned that relabelling will cause additional costs for supermarkets.

On top of that, some brands worry that they have not had enough time to prepare for the change, making them potentially non-compliant with the updated rules. The government, however, suggested that it may not fully enforce the new rules in the initial period after introduction.

In May, a UK government spokesperson told The Telegraph: “The new ‘not for EU’ labelling requirements will only be needed for certain goods, and will be phased in from October 2023.

“This is a proportionate and necessary means of ensuring goods moving in the green lane will only be sold to consumers in Northern Ireland and ensures they can move without routine checks.