This is a subscriber-only article
A House of Lords committee has produced a 133-page report on the Windsor Framework agreement between the UK and EU – a deal originally announced in February 2023, which revises the post-Brexit NI Protocol. There are a number of issues highlighted in the report, including just how complex the Windsor Framework actually is. It still defies logic that the UK government is refusing to put in place a veterinary agreement with the EU that would remove a lot of the trade friction now in place. Instead, it wants to be free to give away agri-food standards in the pursuit of new trade deals, which will add little to the UK economy, but might deliver some cheaper food.
The agri-food lobby in NI, including the UFU, has consistently made the case for such a veterinary agreement – a future Labour government might finally unlock that problem.
No man's land
The second important issue highlighted in the House of Lords analysis is around the potential for NI to be left in “no-man’s land”.
The fear is that NI businesses, producing to high EU standards, will be undercut by competitors in Britain increasingly working to different rules.
That potential has been facilitated by so-called red and green lanes coming into operation from 1 October 2023, where retail goods from Britain can avoid many of the checks necessary to enter the EU single market.
The report is also clear that the UK and EU must urgently agree a solution for the movement of veterinary medicines from Britain to NI. While the issue has effectively been parked until 1 January 2025, it would be unwise to allow another “cliff-edge” scenario to develop – the industry estimates that 51% of products are at risk.
Practical solutions have been put forward by veterinary representatives.
To be fair to the House of Lords committee, it has talked to people from NI and distilled their concerns into a coherent report. They are right to urge both UK and EU officials to put in place mechanisms giving leaders from NI a substantive role in managing the Windsor Framework. We no longer want to be a pawn in a big political game.
SHARING OPTIONS: