Thread by @tconnellyRTE

The EU will formally announce a three month extension to the chilled meats grace period tomorrow afternoon, @rtenews understands.

The announcement will coincide with a UK unilateral declaration agreeing to a number of conditions.

2/ It’s understood the conditions will include a commitment by the UK to continue aligning with EU food safety and animal health rules until September 30, and an acknowledgement that the extension will allow Northern Ireland supermarkets to adapt their supply chains.

3/ There will also be conditions around the labelling of chilled meat products, with special channels for the goods at Northern Ireland ports.

4/ Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, chilled meats - including sausages, chicken nuggets, mince, pies and other non-frozen meats - entering Northern Ireland from GB were due to be prohibited, as the EU bans such products from third countries.

5/ However, the EU and UK agreed a six month grace period last December, which expires on Thursday.

6/ Sources say the UK's unilateral declaration effectively means London is acknowledging that such meats can be sourced in Northern Ireland, or other EU member states, including the South, rather than from Great Britain.

7/ The EU will issue its own Unilateral Declaration “taking note” of the UK’s declaration, and saying that the extension to the grace period is to allow retailers in Northern Ireland “to complete the adjustment of their supply chains.”

8/ It’s understood the European Commission has, in discussions with member states, argued that the extension is warranted because there has already been a shift in supply chains, with supermarkets increasingly sourcing such products locally, or from the South.

9/ The UK formally requested the extension on June 17 and the issue has been discussed by the European Commission and member states.

10/ While the initial grace period was agreed between the Commission and the UK last December, member states have insisted that this time it be subject to a formal decision by member states.

11/ That decision will be confirmed by a so-called “written procedure”, meaning that if no member state objects to the extension by early tomorrow afternoon then it will have been formally adopted.

12/ The European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic is scheduled to give a news conference at 16.30 Brussels time where he is expected to announce the extension.

Update:

However, UK sources have disputed the notion that the UK will “dynamically” align with EU food safety standards during the three month extension.

The view in London is that the UK will keep its own rules on chilled meats in GB, but will not change them if the EU changes it’s rules.

A source pointed out that the original grace period required the UK to dynamically align.

London also disputes the claim that the extension is designed to allow retailers in Northern Ireland to adapt their supply chains.

A source said the point of the Protocol was to provide time to find a permanent solution to moving chilled meats between GB and NI.