Food producers face difficulties gaining protection after Brexit
Concerns have been voiced that food name protection enjoyed by producers of goods such as Scotch whisky, salmon beef and lamb could be lost under new trade deals if the UK fails to maintain the existing system of mutual recognition with the European Union.
NFU Scotland said yesterday that the huge uncertainties generated by Brexit meant that there was no guarantee that the protection from imitation currently granted in the market of more than 500 million potential customers across Europe would be maintained after Brexit – especially if the UK crashed out in a no-deal scenario.
But while an agreed deal was likely to see continued recognition of existing names, the union has questioned the UK government’s current intention to run a system separate from Europe’s for any new products.
Union president Andrew Mccornick said that meant that food producers who required such recognition and protection after Brexit would have to apply to both the UK government and European Commission if they wished to be covered in both the UK and European Union.
He said that this would create an additional layer of cost and bureaucracy to the exercise and said that the union had written to ministers involved in the negotiations asking them to reconsider.
Calling on the UK government to seek a memorandum of understanding of mutual recognition he said: “This would mean that if the UK government gives protection to a UK food product then this will also be given to the product in the European Union, equally if the European Commission gives protection to a European food product then the UK government will adopt protection for this product in the United Kingdom.”
“Food name protection has brought significant benefits to Scottish food and farming,” said Mccornick.
“Given the huge uncertainties generated by Brexit, it will come as no surprise that we are extremely concerned that the food name protections we have just now could be lost under new trade deals if we do not maintain the existing system of mutual recognition with the European Union.”