Windsor Framework: Not for EU label for food products in all of UK

James Cleverly said he was comfortable with rolling out the regime across the UK

"Not for EU" labelling will be required on British food products sold throughout the UK as a result of the Windsor Framework, the foreign secretary has confirmed.

The labelling requirement is part of the UK's deal with the EU to reduce checks on British products entering NI.

James Cleverly said the labels would be required across the UK for "practical and philosophical" reasons.

He said retailers wanted a common labelling regime across the UK.

The 2019 Brexit deal for Northern Ireland - known as the NI Protocol - kept Northern Ireland inside the EU single market for goods, which allowed a free flow of goods across the Irish border.

However, it made trading from Great Britain to Northern Ireland more difficult and expensive.

Checks and controls on GB food products entering NI were some of the biggest practical difficulties.

Under the Windsor Framework, UK public health and safety standards will apply for all retail food and drink in the UK internal market.

That means GB traders who are sending food for sale in Northern Ireland will face no routine checks and minimal paperwork.

The flipside of this is the introduction of "Not for EU" labels on GB food products, to give a level of assurance to the EU that products would not wrongly enter its single market.

From October, prepacked meat and fresh milk have to be individually labelled in that way, with labelling of other goods being rolled out by July 2025.

From October this year prepacked meat and fresh milk have to be individually labelled in that way with labelling of other goods being rolled out by July 2025

Earlier this month the Daily Telegraph reported that applying the labels UK-wide was under consideration. That has now been confirmed by Mr Cleverly.

He told the House of Lords NI Protocol subcommittee that in consultation with retailers the "centre of gravity" was for the UK-wide approach.

That is understood to reflect the fact that separate labelling for NI would be complicated and add costs.

"Philosophically Northern Ireland is part of the UK so it seems to me logical that something we are asking Northern Ireland to do we should ask the UK to do," Mr Cleverly said.

"I'm very comfortable with having a UK-wide regime."

• Northern Ireland Brexit deal: At-a-glance

The government has said it will provide financial support to help businesses with the labelling change.

Food products produced in NI will not need the labelling because they will still be manufactured to EU standards.

Last week, the Lords heard criticism from business groups that key operational details of the framework were not yet clear.

The protocol kept Northern Ireland inside the EU single market for goods which allowed a free flow of goods across the Irish border.

However, it made trading from Britain to Northern Ireland more difficult and expensive.

The Windsor Framework amends the protocol and is designed to ease those Britain-to-Northern Ireland trade flows.