At the end of the transition period, the Northern Ireland Protocol (‘the Protocol’) will take effect. The Protocol is a practical solution to avoid a hard border with Ireland whilst ensuring the UK, including Northern Ireland, leaves the EU as a whole, enabling the entire UK to benefit from future Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). There will be special provisions which apply only in Northern Ireland while the Protocol is in force.

The Protocol is not codified as a permanent solution: it is designed to address a particular set of problems in a way that upholds the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and ensures the UK, including Northern Ireland, leaves the EU as a whole. It can do so only for as long as it has the consent of the people of Northern Ireland. That is why it is for the elected institutions in Northern Ireland to decide what happens to the Protocol’s alignment provisions in a consent vote that can take place every four years, with the first vote taking place in 2024. For as long as they are in force, the UK will give effect to them in a pragmatic and practical way that minimises the impact on individuals and businesses. The UK Government’s approach to the Protocol was set out in the 20 May Command Paper, The UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The application of the Protocol will involve some changes for goods movements into Northern Ireland. Our unfettered access policy will ensure that businesses and individuals will be able to move goods from Northern Ireland into the rest of the United Kingdom on the same basis as now. The end of the transition period will, however, mean some new arrangements for goods movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Trade in goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be unaffected. There will be no new customs infrastructure required in Northern Ireland.

The UK Government has committed to giving businesses the information and support needed to get ready for these changes at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, and is working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive on these changes. This document outlines in further detail the processes for those movements of goods into, out of and through Northern Ireland that will apply from the end of the transition period.

In some cases, the applicable regime will need to take account of the outcome of discussions between the UK and the EU in the Joint Committee established under the Withdrawal Agreement. In others, the position is the subject of ongoing consultation or consideration. Where that is the case, the relevant page makes clear where further guidance will be provided in due course.

At the heart of this guidance is the commitment to provide extensive support for businesses engaging in new processes. In particular, the Government will establish a new and unprecedented Trader Support Service. This will provide an end-to-end service which will guide traders through all import processes, including handling digital import and safety and security declarations on their behalf, at no additional cost. The guidance sets out further details on this service and how to register to use it from the end of the UK transition period.

1. Overview

The guidance outlines that, under the Northern Ireland Protocol, the UK Government will ensure that:

1. Moving goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain should take place as it does now – there will be no additional process, paperwork, or restrictions on Northern Ireland goods moving to Great Britain, delivering unfettered access.
2. Changes for goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will be kept to an absolute minimum – with a new Trader Support Service, available to all traders at no cost, to be established to provide wraparound support, alongside guidance on the processes for food and agricultural products designed to uphold the longstanding status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit.
3. Trade in goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and between Northern Ireland and EU Member States, will continue unaffected, with no change at the border, no new paperwork, and no tariffs or regulatory checks.
4. For trade with the rest of the world, Northern Ireland will benefit from UK FTAs – ensuring the benefits of those agreements are felt right across the United Kingdom.

2. Northern Ireland to Great Britain

The UK Government will guarantee in legislation unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the rest of the UK internal market from 31 December 2020, ensuring that trade from Northern Ireland to Great Britain continues as it does now. That will mean no declarations, tariffs, new regulatory checks or customs checks, or additional approvals for goods from Northern Ireland businesses to be placed on the UK market. Those goods will be able to be placed on the market in Scotland, Wales and England, whether certified against EU or UK rules.

This special treatment will be available only to Northern Ireland businesses (including businesses headquartered in Great Britain with operations in Northern Ireland). Businesses in Ireland will need to follow the normal process for importing goods into the United Kingdom, including submitting customs declarations and paying any tariff duties that are due. The EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 includes provision for the Government to define a qualifying status for goods and businesses in Northern Ireland benefitting from unfettered access. We are engaging with businesses and the Northern Ireland Executive on the means for delivering qualifying status, and will set out further details shortly.

There will be a very limited range of exceptions to this unfettered access policy. These will apply only in specific instances where goods movements require bespoke processes – such as to take account of binding international obligations, for example the movement of endangered species. In these cases, the relevant trade for which the procedures apply is extremely limited. Complying with these requirements will therefore have negligible implications for trade as a whole. On that basis goods trade will continue as at present – and access will be unfettered.

3. Great Britain to Northern Ireland

As set out in the Government’s Command Paper, The UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, there will be some changes for goods movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Food and agricultural products – and all goods classified as sanitary and phytosanitary – will be subject to specified processes. These will uphold the longstanding status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit, while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland. The Protocol means that UK authorities apply EU customs rules to goods entering Northern Ireland. This entails some new administrative process for traders, notably new electronic import declaration requirements, and safety and security information, for goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. These are needed to make sure that tariffs are not paid on trade within the UK and that goods going to Ireland pay tariffs when they should.

We will ensure these electronic processes are streamlined and simplified to the maximum extent, and guarantee that Northern Ireland businesses benefit from the lower tariffs we deliver through our new Free Trade Agreements with third countries. As some of the detailed procedures will depend on the outcome of discussions within the UK-EU Joint Committee, further details will be set out in due course.

In dealing with these new processes, traders in Northern Ireland will have access to a new, free UK Government service, the Trader Support Service, which will undertake those digital processes on behalf of traders. Once registered with the Trader Support Service, businesses will simply need to provide digitally the appropriate information on the goods being moved, and the new service will deal with all associated requirements for free. This unique end-to-end support service will deal with the costs and burdens from the process of moving goods into Northern Ireland. Each business’s EORI number will provide them with a unique reference ID for the service. All traders who wish to draw upon the support should sign up for further information.

4. Northern Ireland to/from the EU

There will be no change for the movement of goods covered by the Protocol between Northern Ireland and EU Member States, including Ireland. That means there will be no new paperwork; no tariffs, quotas or checks on rules of origin; nor any barriers to movement within the EU Single Market for goods in free circulation in Northern Ireland. No EU Member State will be able to apply any tariff or related barriers to goods from Northern Ireland: the EU is obliged under Article 5 of the Protocol to guarantee tariff free, frictionless access in any scenario from 31 December 2020. This does not just apply to movements from Northern Ireland to Ireland: it applies to movements to any other EU Member State, including for example through the use of transit procedures.

Northern Ireland businesses will therefore enjoy unfettered access to the whole of the UK market as well as the guaranteed ability to trade freely within the EU Single Market. Furthermore any approvals or certifications secured in order to place goods on the market in the EU will be recognised when seeking to place the same goods on the market in the United Kingdom – avoiding the need for additional approvals to access the UK market.

This unique arrangement, providing Northern Ireland businesses with both unfettered access to the UK market and free access to EU markets, reflects the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. It is supported and underpinned by the accompanying commitments to preserve the Common Travel Area and to maintain the conditions for North-South cooperation, providing the platform – alongside the commitments made elsewhere by the UK Government – for continued growth and stability in Northern Ireland.

5. Northern Ireland to/from the rest of the world (non-EU)

The overall process for trading between Northern Ireland and non-EU countries will continue broadly as it does today. Further guidance is available:

Export goods to countries outside the EU: step by step

Import goods from outside the EU: step by step

As part of the UK’s customs territory, Northern Ireland will be able to benefit from future UK FTAs. Tariffs may apply for goods imported from the rest of the world (and from outside the EU). The UK’s tariff regime will apply to such movements, unless a good is considered ‘at risk’ of moving into the EU and where UK and EU tariffs differ. The applicable regime will be that determined by the UK-EU Joint Committee in line with Article 5 of the Protocol. Further guidance will be provided on the specific operation of this regime in the light of that Joint Committee decision.

To support traders and avoid burdening business with engaging with any potential complexities in this system, businesses importing into Northern Ireland from the rest of the world will also be eligible for the Trader Support Service. This will enable traders to draw on that service at no additional cost when moving goods from the rest of the world into Northern Ireland.

 

For more information  click here

The Food Standards Agency wants your views on making sure the ‘traffic light’ front-of-pack nutrition labels (FOPNL) scheme continues to help people choose what food and drink to buy.

Front of pack nutrition labelling has been recognised as an important tool to support consumers to better understand the nutrient content of their food and drink. In Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency leads the current front-of-pack nutritional labelling scheme. We want to ensure that our front of pack nutrition label still meets the needs of shoppers to make informed healthier purchasing decisions for themselves and their families.

To ensure the UK’s front of pack nutrition label is based on the best available evidence to help consumers make informed healthier choices, this consultation is a ‘call to evidence’ to reflect on the current UK scheme, review the evidence-base and learn how this label is used by UK consumers and industry.

The Food Standards Agency is working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, Food Standards Scotland and the Welsh Government on this joint four nation consultation which will close on 21 October 2020. You can read and respond to the four nation consultation by following the link below

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/front-of-pack-nutrition-labelling-in-the-uk-building-on-success

If you have any questions or comments regarding the consultation, please contact Kathleen Mooney Kathleen.Mooney@food.gov.uk or Fionnuala Close (Fionnuala.Close@food.gov.uk) at the Dietary Health team in the Food Standards Agency. Questions for the Department of Health and Social Care can be addressed to childhood.obesity@dhsc.gov.uk

Four Food NI companies are among six Northern Ireland distilleries who have won a record 16 major awards in the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) held recently in England. The awards from an influential panel of judges include three golds and five silvers for mostly craft distilleries in Northern Ireland.

The Food NI winners were Boatyard Distillery in Enniskillen; Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee, Mourne Dew in Warrenpoint and Shortcross Gin in Crossgar.

The golds were won by Copeland for its recently launched 1778 Cash Finished Navy Strength Gin; Mourne Dew in Warrenpoint for its Rostrevor Ruby Gin; and Niche Drinks in Derry for its Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cream Irish Liqueur.

All the awards were for smaller producers of Irish gin and Irish whiskey as well as cream liqueurs. They demonstrate the growing strength of the Northern Ireland spirits industry and its growing achievements in the international marketplace. The companies are increasingly winning business in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US.

The IWSC is the world’s largest and most influential international spirit awards company. It prides itself on providing expert, impartial evaluation, benchmarking, increasing brand awareness and boosting sales. The organisation’s supporters include eminent professionals and offers companies access to key buyers and influencers.

IWSC celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1969 by wine chemist Anton Masel to “reward excellence in drinks worldwide, ensuring recognition for the very best wines and spirits”.

The IWSC sets the international benchmark for quality, standing out in the crowded world of drinks awards with hundreds of global experts – including buyers, producers, distillers, sommeliers, distributors and influencers – judging wines and spirits throughout the year.

IWSC also promotes companies at international trade and consumer shows, trade marketing and through social media.

The Northern Ireland winners were:

Boatyard Distillery, Enniskillen

Winter Solstice Gin – Bronze

Boatyard Double Gin – Silver

Copeland Distillery, Donaghadee

1778 Cash Finished Navy Strength Gin – Gold

Irish Gin – Bronze

Shortcross Gin, Crossgar

Shortcross Classic Gin – Silver

Rosie’s Garden Gin – Bronze

Mourne Dew Distillery, Warrenpoint

Rostrevor Ruby Irish Gin  – Gold

Kilbroney Premium Irish Gin  Bronze

Hinch Distillery, Ballynahinch

5-Year Old Double Wood Irish Single Malt Whiskey – Bronze

Peated Irish Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Silver

Ninth Wave Irish Gin – Silver

Niche Drinks, Derry

Iriah Cream Liqueur – Bronze

Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Cream Liqueur –Gold

Tesco Irish Cream Liqueur – Silver

Luxco Tesco The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey 2 Year old Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Bronze

Head brewer Tom Ray was toasting the stunning success of three novel beers he’s brewing at the Mourne Mountains Brewery overlooking Carlingford Lough outside Warrenpoint during the week.

The craft brewery gained three major medals in the UKNorth West regional category at the first-ever Digital Beer Awards organised by the influential Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) in Britain, an organisation that represents around 850 craft breweries. Mourne Mountains gained two golds and a silver for the quality and innovation of its craft beers at the unique UKbrewing event.

The prestigious awards are further recognition of the quality beers now being brewed in Northern Ireland by craft breweries. There are currently more than 40 craft breweries operating in Northern Ireland.

The golds awarded to Mourne Mountains, a Food NI member, were for its Krammed, a New England Pale Ale, and its barrel aged stout, Hoops and Staves. The silver was awarded to the progressive brewery for itsMourne Mist, a refreshing pilsner lager.

The awards demonstrate the expertise and versatility of the craft brewery located in the foothills of the iconic mountain range just outside the seaside resort and busy freight port.

Mourne Mountains Brewery was founded in 2015 by local businessman Connaire McGreevy and Tom Ray, the brewer behind the winning beers and a host of othercommercially successful brews. All the small batchbeers are “inspired by the incredible landscape and the characters of the Mourne Mountains”, according to Tom.

“We are thrilled to receive this important recognition for the quality and outstanding taste of our beers,” he says. “It’s great to see Northern Ireland brewers being recognised for quality products at a such a significant national event,” he adds.

“It’s especially rewarding as we’ve only recently joined SIBA as part of our support for the campaign to change Northern Ireland’s outdated licensing legislation. SIBA made an important contribution to the success of the campaign involving hospitality organisations and breweries here to persuade the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly to make the essential changes that are contributing significantly to the industry’s development,” he continues.

SIBA competition chair Guy Sheppard describes the quality of entries in the awards as being “incredibly high and testament to the passion and talent of British brewers especially in these trying times.”

He adds: “The UK is quite simply brewing some of the best beer anywhere in the world and in these awards showcased the full breadth of beer styles now available from independent craft breweries.”

Connaire McGreevy created the craft brewery on the back of his outstanding success with CTS Projects, which he had established in 2006, and has since developed into a diverse facilities management business operating throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It started refurbishing rundown properties, such as old social housing stock, and has since diversified successfully into renewable heating, such as biomass boilers and solar panels – focusing on energy efficiency.

He turned a passion for good beer into the formation of the brewery, the first in the region for over a century, which has developed into one of the most successful craft breweries in Ireland. He recruited Tom and tapped into his vast range of expertise gained working with small craft beer producers in Britain and in management with Diageo, the leading international producer of a wide range of beverages, and top milk processor Lakeland Dairies in Newtownards.

Tom says the small company takes great pride in using “only the best malted barley and speciality grains we can get our hands on”. “We use the finest whole leaf hops from around the world. But the ingredient we treasure the most is our water supply sources from the high Mournes. ”The water is beautifully soft and perfect for brewing a wide variety of beer styles – from crisp, hoppy pilsners to big, bold Imperial stouts.”

The company is busy recovering the business with hotels and restaurants stalled during the coronavirus pandemic.

The beers are hand brewed by Tom and brewer Gareth McGivern in small batches from their extensive knowledge of brewing techniques. Waste grain from the brewing process is used by a local farmer as a supplement feed for cattle. The spent hops are also removed from the kettle, by hand, and sent to an anaerobic digestion plant where they help to generate electricity.

The extent of the brewery’s commitment to the environment is also seen in the practice of recycling of as much of used cardboard and plastic as practicable.

Northern Ireland’s Noisy Snacks, the award winning snack brand that engages all the senses, has signed a listing to be distributed to high end independent stores by Diverse Fine Food. Diverse Fine Food deals with high end food outlets, offering unbeatable service and customer satisfaction, working in partnership with both suppliers and customers.

Nicki Stewart, Diverse Fine Food, says: “We are unique in the industry, being very selective with our brands and having incredibly high standards. We restrict our products per category, not wanting to over populate a catalogue with multiple brands. Noisy Snacks stood out with their extraordinarily memorable flavour palette, and for their unique brand experience which engages all of the senses.”

Noel Allen, founder, Noisy Snacks, adds: “We are proud to have such a great partner as Diverse Fine Food. Our snacks are massively on-trend for 2021 providing not only a delicious and satisfying snack, but also a sensory experience. Our snacks are developed to work on multiple levels for optimal mouth-feel and engaging all of the senses to deliver a truly unique snacking experience.”​

With double the amount of flavouring as regular snacks (8g instead of 4g per pack) the snacks provide a noisy, explosive mouth sensation. The 45g fully recyclable pack must be shaken loudly before opening to wake the flavour inside. They are flexitarian with vegan options in the range, and a good source of protein coming in 4 x varieties: