Government to indefinitely postpone ‘Not for EU’ food stickers
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has scrapped plans to put “Not for EU” stickers on meat, fish and dairy products sold in the UK.
The Telegraph reported that the government has told UK food makers that it will “indefinitely postpone” the post-Brexit labelling rules, which were put forward by the previous government.
The ‘Not for EU’ sticker was meant to come into circulation from 1 October.
Meat and dairy products sent to Northern Ireland already have to carry the stickers.
The change followed lobbying from food and drink makers to delay the plans, which they said would cost the industry “hundreds of millions of pounds”.
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Food and Drink Federation chief executive Karen Betts warned earlier this year that the move would lead to higher prices and lower investment in the sector.
Trade association Dairy UK welcomed the move. Chief executive Judith Bryans said: “Had this initiative gone ahead…it would have resulted in chaos for dairy and added significant unnecessary cost and a huge admin burden to businesses.
“We’re very pleased that the government has listened to and reflected on the concerns we raised on behalf of our members.”
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spokesperson said: “Ministers are carefully considering the evidence provided in the recent ‘not for EU’ labelling consultation.
“We are committed to taking all necessary steps to protect the UK internal market and are continuing to engage with businesses to ensure the smooth flow of goods to Northern Ireland.”
Earlier this week, it emerged that post-Brexit checks on fruit and vegetables brought from the EU into Britain have been delayed for a third time to allow the government to better understand the impact it will have on businesses.
While checks on some fruit and veg, including celery and tomatoes, were meant to be rolled out from 1 January, the government has said this will be delayed by a further six months to 1 July, The Guardian reported.
