NFU responds to ‘Not for EU’ labelling requirements

15 March 2024

The NFU has responded to a government consultation on new, ‘not for EU’ labelling requirements that would apply to a range of food products sold across Great Britain.

Under the Windsor Framework Agreement to regulate the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, agri-food goods sold in Northern Ireland must be labelled ‘not for EU’.

The UK Government has committed to introduce ‘Not for EU’ labelling across the whole of the UK, which must be displayed on a range of agri-food products, irrespective of if they have been produced in Great Britain or imported from abroad.

A short consultation was launched in February and the NFU has responded, drawing on feedback from members

NFU position

The NFU is concerned that this approach could lead to consumer confusion and misconceptions about the high-quality product UK farmers are proud to produce.

It will also lead to additional costs for domestic suppliers of food and products for sale across Great Britain (irrespective of whether they sell to Northern Ireland) and could lead to barriers to trade with the EU, and particularly the Republic of Ireland, which remains the UK’s largest overseas food and drink destination.

The NFU’s form for feeding back into this consultation has now closed.

15 March 2024

Consultation closes

This consultation has now closed.

15 March 2024

NFU submits its response

The NFU’s submission recognised that all domestic food manufacturers and farmers should be able to sell their goods across the UK.

However, the NFU did not agree with the decision to proactively extend ‘not for EU’ labelling across the entire British market. It feels the government has not given sufficient justification for the new labelling measure.

The response said the NFU was ‘not aware of any legal commitments arising from the Windsor Framework or the EU-UK Trade & Co-operation Agreement that requires the UK Government to apply not for EU labelling requirements across the GB market’.

The NFU also expressed concerns that the new requirements would add to an already busy labelling landscape and cause confusion amongst customers and add unnecessary costs to the supply chain.

Furthermore, it highlighted the inconsistency of exempting NI suppliers from having to meet the ‘not for EU’ labelling requirements when placing goods on the GB market. This, it said, may lead to further confusion and could create distortions impacting commercial investment plans for the building of future processing facilities across the UK.

The NFU urged the government to clearly define who would be responsible for the labelling requirements, and to ensure that small and medium operators, including farmers and farmers operating farm shops, are made exempt.

2 February 2024

‘Marking of Retail Goods’ consultation launched

The government is currently legislating to confirm that labelling requirements on agri-food products are applied across Great Britain, and to ensure that no incentive arises for businesses to avoid placing goods on the Northern Ireland market.

The UK Government has opted to push for this labelling requirement to be applied throughout the UK, fearing that choice and availability could be limited in Northern Ireland, potentially treating consumers there differently compared to in the rest of the UK.

A notable exception in the requirements is that goods produced in NI do not need to be labelled ‘Not for EU’ irrespective of where they are sold.

The NFU will be responding to the consultation on behalf of members.

Stakeholders can also respond directly to the consultation before 15 March 2024 at: GOV.UK | Marking of Retail Goods Consultation

This page was first published on 14 February 2024. It was updated on 15 March 2024.

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Summary

15 March 2024: NFU submits its response.
2 February 2024: Government launches consultation