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UK food standards have always been higher than EU standards and that hasn't changed. These stickers are part of the agreement for Northern Ireland to prevent customs checks at the border with Ireland being necessary.
They can be higher or lower, but checks are still required.
If the EU was letting in British goods without checks, other countries would raise a complaint to the WTO (same reason the UK has finally had to start checking EU goods).
Almost but not entirely true. The government in their wisdom has delayed indefinitely the requirement for products to carry the UKCA mark.
Extremely infuriating as a manufacturer of thousands of different products. Revising decals, certificates and user manuals over a period of about 12 months cost us hundreds of thousands of pounds. All wasted.
Any sign we have done that? We were negotiating a trade deal with Canada and Canada was asking the UK to accept chlorine washed meat. The UK said no and ended up walking away. We didn't agree to lower standards, even to get a trade deal.
We've been importing Thai chicken for years.
Theres quite a few large restaurant chains in the UK who's Chicken breasts come in huge frozen, pre-cooked bags. Well they were from at least 2010-2018.
The EU forbids import of certain things, like sausages. While we were in the EU our sausages met EU standards with no problem, but now we are out we cannot export sausages to the EU even though they are the exact same sausages they happily bought from us before we left.
It is often due more to protectionism than quality standards.
It wasn't their decision.The SM is the mechanism that allows its members not to need border checks. We decided to leave the Single Market so it was our decision
Correct. And just to be more explicit - a lot of the product could go to the EU, if it had the right paperwork. However it’s domestic product for domestic consumption. No point in creating the extra costs to complete that paperwork.
So to make sure it doesn’t end up in the EU via the back door in Ireland, it gets stamped.
AIUI it could also apply to imports - for example there is a limit on how much Australian and NZ meat is allowed into the EU under their trade deal; a piece of NZ lamb shipped to the UK couldn't then be shipped onward to the EU (including the ROI) as if it's British (the UK-EU deal doesn't have quota limits), because it's still NZ lamb and would have to be accounted for that way.
Quite easily. The higher standard takes precedent when it can be empirically quantified and not repealed.
If EU standards said all cake has to have three flakes but the UK had a standard of a minimum of two, all cakes while in the EU would have three flakes.
When we left, we could take back control by having two flakes. Same works in reverse.
The UK has never been politically open to that, and it would be strange for a highly developed country to have the exact same standards as a bloc of 20+, but I take your point.
They can’t be sold in the EU. As part of the withdrawal agreement we refused to commit to adhering to their standards, and therefore they cannot be sure it meets their standards and cannot be sold there.
In reality the standards are still pretty much the same, because we met the standard before and I don’t think it’s changed, but because we wouldn’t commit to meeting them we could, in theory, reduce standards (this may happen soon to tackle the cost of living) or fail to meet new ones moving forward, so it must be treated as not good enough
The EU forbids import of certain things, like raw sausages. While we were in the EU our sausages met EU standards with no problem, but now we are out we cannot export sausages to the EU even though they are the exact same sausages they happily bought from us before we left. We cannot sell sausages to the EU whatever we do. There is no standard we could meet that would allow it. The EU just doesn't allow uncooked sausages to be imported.
It is often due more to protectionism than quality standards.
that's because of Ulster, where UK products could easily find their way into the EU (Ireland) since there is no hard border between NI and Eire. it has absolutely NO bearing on quality whatsoever
It is a Unionist word.
The equivalent Nationalist term is *the North OF Ireland*
*Northern Ireland* is the most neutral usage.
Note other examples like the place called Derry/Londonderry.
It can be if it is checked.
The items marked as 'not for EU' might be exactly the same as an item that is being exported to France.
But the 'not for EU' stamp is the supplier saying that the item won't go to the EU, and it will stay in the UK.
The stamp means if the item does end up in Dublin, it'll be much more obvious. In return, the EU checks fewer goods moving between GB and NI.
It needs to go through certain checks. There will be designated stock going to the EU. It's just a siphoning off the stock into EU and not EU batches most of the time. Especially of you send x amount to the EU. Has to match the forms. It is more to let those sorting stock know.
UK standards can be higher or lower, they just can’t be guaranteed to meet EU standards because the UK does not participate in the necessary EU schemes/institutions that guarantee those standards. They are for Northern Ireland only.
It’s a marking which can be added to enable goods to move from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland without having to go through EU customs checks, which would otherwise be required because of the NI Protocol. Nothing to do with quality; just a way of telling which goods present in NI *aren’t* cleared to be shipped onward into the EU.
No. All i am saying is. There is less chance of getting horse meat from british meat (with the not for eu sticker) because it wont have been butchered or processed in the eu where eating horsemeat is not uncommon. Our eu neeeyybours quite like it.
I didnt know eating horse was done in the uk. When did this start? Where can i buy it? Ive never seen horse being sold in any butchers or supermarket butchers. I would love to try it.
No idea. You’ll have to ask Gordon. Funny though. You didn’t sound like you wanted to try it. You sounded very upset at the prospect. You’re probably vegan which is understandable.
Im happy, im always happy chum. You should try it. Mind you, i might be a little bit disappointed if i cooked a birds eye crispy pancake and horses head appeared when i cut into it.
It can be bought from exotic butchers, including online such as this one https://www.keziefoods.co.uk/product-category/exotic-meats/?filter_exotic-meats=horse-meat.
Thanks for this, i might give it a go along with zebra, kangaroo and buffalo. Nice niche business. Wiki says nearly all horse meat for human consumption (which is a small amount) is imported from the south of france.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
UK food standards have always been higher than EU standards and that hasn't changed. These stickers are part of the agreement for Northern Ireland to prevent customs checks at the border with Ireland being necessary.
That doesn't quite make sense, if they were higher standard then surely it would be fine to send them out of the UK?
They can be higher or lower, but checks are still required. If the EU was letting in British goods without checks, other countries would raise a complaint to the WTO (same reason the UK has finally had to start checking EU goods).
The EU doesn't recognise UK standards any more. So the UK can say what it likes, the EU doesn't have to believe a word.
Just as we don't recognise EU standards, hence the UKCA logo on lots of goods.
Almost but not entirely true. The government in their wisdom has delayed indefinitely the requirement for products to carry the UKCA mark. Extremely infuriating as a manufacturer of thousands of different products. Revising decals, certificates and user manuals over a period of about 12 months cost us hundreds of thousands of pounds. All wasted.
Some products. Only a few specific product types have been delayed.
But Britain imports EU goods without any checks. The distinction seems moot in that regard, no?
But we are having to check them now
Because we can now import food with lower standards than we allow for domestically produced food.
Any sign we have done that? We were negotiating a trade deal with Canada and Canada was asking the UK to accept chlorine washed meat. The UK said no and ended up walking away. We didn't agree to lower standards, even to get a trade deal.
I have noticed Ukrainian chicken in frozen sections of discount supermarkets.
Ukraine might be a new one, but I've seen Thai chicken being imported even whilst we were in the EU.
We've been importing Thai chicken for years. Theres quite a few large restaurant chains in the UK who's Chicken breasts come in huge frozen, pre-cooked bags. Well they were from at least 2010-2018.
Chinese chicken in Iceland too.
The EU forbids import of certain things, like sausages. While we were in the EU our sausages met EU standards with no problem, but now we are out we cannot export sausages to the EU even though they are the exact same sausages they happily bought from us before we left. It is often due more to protectionism than quality standards.
While we were in the EU sausages were called "emulsified, high-fat offal tubes" or Euro sausages. At least according to the Hon James Hacker MP.
It’s not about quality or standards, it’s about customs checks on the island of Ireland
Ask the EU to explain their decision.
It wasn't their decision.The SM is the mechanism that allows its members not to need border checks. We decided to leave the Single Market so it was our decision
I'll save you the postage. We asked for it when we left the EU.
Correct. And just to be more explicit - a lot of the product could go to the EU, if it had the right paperwork. However it’s domestic product for domestic consumption. No point in creating the extra costs to complete that paperwork. So to make sure it doesn’t end up in the EU via the back door in Ireland, it gets stamped.
AIUI it could also apply to imports - for example there is a limit on how much Australian and NZ meat is allowed into the EU under their trade deal; a piece of NZ lamb shipped to the UK couldn't then be shipped onward to the EU (including the ROI) as if it's British (the UK-EU deal doesn't have quota limits), because it's still NZ lamb and would have to be accounted for that way.
> UK food standards have always been higher than EU standards and that hasn't changed. Any source for that claim?
Are they? I actually thought vice versa tbh.N8ce to know
How could UK standards be lower than EU standards while it was in the EU?
Quite easily. The higher standard takes precedent when it can be empirically quantified and not repealed. If EU standards said all cake has to have three flakes but the UK had a standard of a minimum of two, all cakes while in the EU would have three flakes. When we left, we could take back control by having two flakes. Same works in reverse.
"Was" is a key word
>UK food standards have always been higher than EU standards Well, until 2020, they had to be.
Until 2020 they had to be higher standards than the EU? Why was that?
Because they were part of the EU and therefore could not have lower standards.
But that doesn’t rule out the standards being the same as EU standards? That doesn’t mean they _have_ to be higher
The UK has never been politically open to that, and it would be strange for a highly developed country to have the exact same standards as a bloc of 20+, but I take your point.
They can’t be sold in the EU. As part of the withdrawal agreement we refused to commit to adhering to their standards, and therefore they cannot be sure it meets their standards and cannot be sold there. In reality the standards are still pretty much the same, because we met the standard before and I don’t think it’s changed, but because we wouldn’t commit to meeting them we could, in theory, reduce standards (this may happen soon to tackle the cost of living) or fail to meet new ones moving forward, so it must be treated as not good enough
The EU forbids import of certain things, like raw sausages. While we were in the EU our sausages met EU standards with no problem, but now we are out we cannot export sausages to the EU even though they are the exact same sausages they happily bought from us before we left. We cannot sell sausages to the EU whatever we do. There is no standard we could meet that would allow it. The EU just doesn't allow uncooked sausages to be imported. It is often due more to protectionism than quality standards.
that's because of Ulster, where UK products could easily find their way into the EU (Ireland) since there is no hard border between NI and Eire. it has absolutely NO bearing on quality whatsoever
Ulster and Northern Ireland are not the same.
Just like Holland and the Netherlands, but people still use it and normal people don't get worked up over it.
Do people refer to NI as Ulster though? I've never heard it.
It is a Unionist word. The equivalent Nationalist term is *the North OF Ireland* *Northern Ireland* is the most neutral usage. Note other examples like the place called Derry/Londonderry.
Yea, it's common to do so.
If you are a thick loyalist maybe
It really isn’t. It’s denying reality.
Ulster is not contained within Northern Ireland.
¾ or more of it was!
Holland and the Netherlands are the same place though. Only most of Ulster is in northern Ireland, and part of Ulster is in the republic of Ireland
No, it's not. That's like referring to the whole UK as Yorkshire. Holland is in the Netherlands.
I haven't heard the Netherlands called Holland in a very long time. I have NEVER heard NI called Ulster.
A third of Ulster is in the EU
Ulster, and Eire. Dear me.
Ok so why can’t our meat go in to the EU?
There's not been an agreement to acknowledge UK standards in the EU.
It can be if it is checked. The items marked as 'not for EU' might be exactly the same as an item that is being exported to France. But the 'not for EU' stamp is the supplier saying that the item won't go to the EU, and it will stay in the UK. The stamp means if the item does end up in Dublin, it'll be much more obvious. In return, the EU checks fewer goods moving between GB and NI.
Sounds an expensive faff. Probably why my food bill keeps going up.
It is an expensive faff but one that negates the need for a border between GB & NI
The UK imposed trade sanctions upon itself - this was always going to make food more expensive.
It needs to go through certain checks. There will be designated stock going to the EU. It's just a siphoning off the stock into EU and not EU batches most of the time. Especially of you send x amount to the EU. Has to match the forms. It is more to let those sorting stock know.
It can in theory if it has all the correct agreements, checks and documentation etc but it hasn't so the stickers are to emphasise that.
UK standards can be higher or lower, they just can’t be guaranteed to meet EU standards because the UK does not participate in the necessary EU schemes/institutions that guarantee those standards. They are for Northern Ireland only.
It’s a marking which can be added to enable goods to move from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland without having to go through EU customs checks, which would otherwise be required because of the NI Protocol. Nothing to do with quality; just a way of telling which goods present in NI *aren’t* cleared to be shipped onward into the EU.
It means there is less of a chance to get horse mixed in with you meat as it is british meat.
But higher chance of BSE by that logic then. So do you mean we can’t import meat anymore either then?
UK have insanely strict checks after 90s BSE outbreak, so beef is one thing that's likely actually safer in UK than anywhere
No. All i am saying is. There is less chance of getting horse meat from british meat (with the not for eu sticker) because it wont have been butchered or processed in the eu where eating horsemeat is not uncommon. Our eu neeeyybours quite like it.
Gordon Ramsey serves it in his restaurant apparently. I thought he was British. Weird.
I didnt know eating horse was done in the uk. When did this start? Where can i buy it? Ive never seen horse being sold in any butchers or supermarket butchers. I would love to try it.
No idea. You’ll have to ask Gordon. Funny though. You didn’t sound like you wanted to try it. You sounded very upset at the prospect. You’re probably vegan which is understandable.
Im happy, im always happy chum. You should try it. Mind you, i might be a little bit disappointed if i cooked a birds eye crispy pancake and horses head appeared when i cut into it.
I wouldn’t be disappointed if that meant I had time-travelled to 20 years in the past! But each to their own I suppose.
It can be bought from exotic butchers, including online such as this one https://www.keziefoods.co.uk/product-category/exotic-meats/?filter_exotic-meats=horse-meat.
Thanks for this, i might give it a go along with zebra, kangaroo and buffalo. Nice niche business. Wiki says nearly all horse meat for human consumption (which is a small amount) is imported from the south of france.