Brexit: Supermarkets given grace period on Northern Ireland supply checks

In a concession from the European Union, UK supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and other trusted traders operating in Northern Ireland will be given a grace period before Brexit checks become mandatory. 

Speaking at the House of Commons today, minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove said the grace period for supermarkets would hold for three months, and full checks on chilled meats, which include burgers and sausages, would not kick in for six months.

This follows a number of UK grocers, including the chief executive of Sainsbury’s Simon Roberts, becoming increasingly vocal about concerns that checks at the border of Northern Ireland could lead to reductions in fresh meat, fish and dairy lines after Brexit.

There had also been fears that every item in a food supply truck would be subjected to checks.

Northern Ireland Retail Consortium director Aodhán Connolly said the move represented progress but more needed to be done to ensure that Northern Irish consumers are not left with “unaffordable price rises and availability issues”. 

He said: “Since the signing of the Withdrawal Agreement, we have been clear that the Northern Ireland Protocol was better than no deal. However, to protect Northern Ireland households from unaffordable price rises and availability issues there needs to be long term workable solution that removes the myriad sources of friction.  The agreement in principle to remove tariffs on goods going to Northern Ireland consumers is very welcome and will remove one source of friction in the movement of goods between GB and NI. We are just 22 days out and retailers are still unsure about the exact processes needed to move food to Northern Ireland. Therefore, the government needs to assure them how this will be done without additional bureaucracy.

“There will also be considerable challenges in the medium term. The details of this agreement need to be the baseline for further deliberations and not the end result. The joint committee must fulfil the commitments of the UK and EU to the people of Northern Ireland, notably in the preamble to the Northern Ireland Protocol, and allow us to trade in a way that keeps costs down and ensures continued choice for NI families.”

Earlier today, Tesco chair John Allen told the BBC that he expected prices on some food items to rise by 5% in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with some products increasing even more.

He also said the UK’s largest grocer had been stockpiling some non-fresh food as it prepared for potential shortages from January 1.