BREXIT: EU to offer fewer Northern Ireland border checks on British goods

The EU will later submit proposals to address the series on trade in Northern Ireland. The UK wants to change the deal as part of the Brexit process so that goods can circulate more freely between the UK and Northern Ireland.

It states that the current rules impose too many barriers to the sale of chilled meat and other products. The EU proposals, which they call far-reaching, are expected to include reduced controls on goods and medicines.

Earlier this year, a new post-Brexit arrangement – known as the Northern Ireland Protocol – was introduced to avoid controls along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It involves Northern Ireland holding on to the EU’s internal market for goods – but this creates a new trade border with the UK. Unionists say this undermines their status in the UK.

Both sides seem to agree – but to varying degrees – that the protocol poses some difficulties for individuals and some businesses in Northern Ireland.

Some companies in Northern Ireland affected by the protocol say supply chains are disrupted, and while there may be opportunities, there are also some problems.

Eamon McKey, of County Down-based sandwich maker Deli Lites, said more people are now shopping locally, and Deli Lites has won accounts that were previously served by competitors in the UK.

But the sandwich maker had also lost some of its UK suppliers, he added.

Conversations between the EU and the UK on the new proposals, which are likely to last for several weeks, are the first step towards reaching a better arrangement.