The latest source of tension in the post-Brexit Northern Ireland saga is - a type of Cypriot cheese which is now a listed EU #geographicalindications. If you’ll just halloumi to explain….. (sorry….) https://borderlex.net/2021/04/07/eu-risks-fresh-trade-rows-over-gi-status-for-halloumi-cheese//1

Towards the end of last week, the EU finally approved ‘halloumi’ as a Product of Designated Origin (PDO). This came a 'mere' seven years after Cyprus initially submitted it for PDO status. /2

Halloumi is the first internationally significant food product to have won GI status since the UK left the EU single market at the last of last year. As opposed to, say, the Hungarian apple variety ‘Tuzséri alma’ which I for one have not spotted in Sainsbury’s recently… /3

GIs that were registered in the EU prior to 31 December are automatically registered in the UK under the the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement – and existing UK GIs automatically stay registered in the EU. So far, so gouda. (Hey, come on, it’s a cheese story, whaddya expect?.. ) /4

But the Trade and Cooperation Agreement has no provisions on automatic recognition for newly-registered GIs. Hence, GI status for Halloumi will not be valid in Great Britain. But it *will* be valid in Northern Ireland, which has to comply with all EU single market rules. /5

This is significant because UK dairies produce around 300 tonnes of halloumi every year. This product can still be legally marketed as ‘halloumi’ in GB. But once the new GI registration takes effect, it will become illegal to market it this same stuff as ‘halloumi’ in NI. /6

Are small dairies likely to be willing and able to re-label their cheeses specifically for sale in Northern Ireland? No whey. (Sorry – I mean way). /7

Of course, transporting any kind of cheese from GB to NI is likely to become more complicated as from October, when the requirement for Export Health Certificates and other bureaucracy takes effect. So this in itself won’t have a huge commercial impact. /8

But the fact that the Irish Sea Border is now about to start applying to food product *names* will not amuse those who want to believe that unfettered trade between GB and NI is still an actual ‘thing’. /ends