Brexit: Truce agreed with EU to delay ban on sale of chilled meats to Northern Ireland

But stop-gap agreement only until end of September – and trade groups warn it ignores wider protocol crisis

‘We are not issuing a blank cheque’, the Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic warned the UK (AP)

A truce has been reached to delay a ban on the sale of chilled meats across the Irish Sea – but it will last only until the end of September.

The deal with the EU will force the UK to abide by Brussels’ food standards rules, but the UK government insists that does not amount to the “dynamic alignment” it opposes.

Ministers believe the agreement “allows for further discussions to continue on a permanent solution” to end the “sausage wars”.

But the European Commission immediately insisted there were “strong conditions attached”, warning Boris Johnson: “We are not issuing a blank cheque.”

The EU insists the three-month period must be used to arrange for retailers to obtain meats from the Republic of Ireland, as set out in the Northern Ireland protocol – and that the UK agrees.

Supermarkets would “continue to adapt the supply chains to the post-Brexit situation, something yet to be completed”, said Maros Sefcovic, the commission vice-president.

He used a Brussels press conference to hail a bright future for Northern Ireland businesses, which – unlike those in the rest of the UK – are not shut out of the EU single market and customs union.

By this time next year, we would be “talking about the big business opportunities for foreign investors” with “free access to both major markets of the EU and the UK”, Mr Sefcovic said.

And, on the truce, he warned: “We are not issuing a blank cheque. This solution is of a temporary nature, in which strong conditions are attached.”

Mr Sefcovic also announced moves to allow medicines to be transported from Britain to Northern Ireland, simpler rules for guide dogs to do so and that UK drivers will no longer need to show the insurance green card to enter the EU.

He again appealed for the UK to agree to a Swiss-style veterinary deal – to avoid the need for most border food checks – but the government has repeatedly said no.

David Frost, the Brexit minister, said: “This is a positive first step, but we still need to agree a permanent solution.

“Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom, and its consumers should be able to enjoy products they have bought from Great Britain for years.”

But the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium – while welcoming the agreement – dismissed it as “a peripheral matter”.

“The most pressing issue is the fate of the thousands of food products moving daily from GB to NI, which will be subject to extensive controls when that grace period ends in October,” said director Aodhan Connolly.

“We are no closer to a decision by both sides on this.”

And Shane Brennan, the chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, warned: “Three more months of the same standoff is not going to boost trader confidence or make anyone’s lives genuinely easier.

“This further delay in finding a lasting solution shows just how far the people trying to carry on cross-border business are from being a priority concern for UK and EU negotiators.”