EU saves biscuits and chocolate from fresh hit of Brexit red tape – The Grocer

The EU has confirmed biscuits and chocolates will be exempt from the new layers of post-Brexit red tape that threaten to cost manufacturers millions of pounds in extra costs, a Defra official said Thursday.

The move will be of great relief to businesses like Cadbury and McVities, who faced costly export health certificates (EHCs) for every shipment to the EU from April. The FDF warned the additional bureaucracy could make it unviable for many businesses to keep supplying Northern Ireland.

The new EU legislation comes into force on 21 April and will significantly expand the range of products needing an EHC when arriving from third countries such as the UK. These are currently only required on goods that consist predominantly of meat or dairy.

The Chilled Food Association has estimated the change will increase the number of EHCs required by around a third.

One of the biggest concerns was whether foods containing pasteurised milk such as chocolate digestives or curry sauces would require an EHC, but the EU confirmed this week these foods could be shipped with a much simpler private attestation completed by the manufacturer, said David Kennedy, Defras director general for food, farming, animal and plant health.

Thats really important. If they had needed export health certificates it could have been disruptive, he told the environment, food and rural affairs committee on Thursday.

It is understood the commission had concerns over pasteurisation as an acceptable heat treatment for dairy elements in shelf-stable composite products, but these have been addressed.

Other shelf-stable products such as tinned rice pudding will also be exempt, however perishable foods containing low levels of dairy, a Victoria sponge cake for example, will need an EHC signed off by an official veterinarian.

Kennedy told the committee the EU is revamping its entire range of EHCs with 50 new certificates set to come into effect. While foods that dont require an EHC already will need to do so from April, products such as meat and cheese that have needed them since January will have until August to make the switch.

Defra secretary George Eustice said it was inconvenient that weve got these changes just as people get used to some of the previous ones although he recognised it was not due to the EU being more difficult. These changes have been in train for some time he said.

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EU saves biscuits and chocolate from fresh hit of Brexit red tape - The Grocer