The boss of Marks & Spencer has hit out over ‘bureaucratic madness’ ahead of costly Northern Ireland red tape coming into force next week.
Stuart Machin took aim at the changes which are being introduced despite Labour’s claim to have reset EU relations.
The rules mean thousands of everyday grocery products will require special labels when they are shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Retailers already have to do this for all meat and dairy products under the Windsor Framework agreement between the UK and the EU.
And even more products – from fruit and vegetables to fish and pizza – need extra checks from July 1.
Machin said it meant retailers were facing ‘yet another layer of unnecessary costs and red tape’.
‘Bureaucratic madness’: Stuart Machin took aim at the changes which are being introduced despite Labour’s claim to have reset EU relations
M&S operates 22 shops in Northern Ireland. Its operations in the region, like those of other UK-wide retailers, are complicated by the fact that Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is in the EU.
Machin (pictured) said that more than a thousand M&S products will require a ‘not for EU’ label and another 400 will need to go through extra checks in the so-called ‘red lane’ for goods.
In a post on X, he added: ‘Quite frankly it’s bureaucratic madness, confusing for customers and completely unnecessary given the UK has some of the highest food standards in the world.’
Andrew Opie, director of food at the British Retail Consortium, said: ‘The thousands of additional products needing ‘not for EU’ labelling in July combined with hard-line enforcement means retailers face a huge challenge maintaining choice for their customers in Northern Ireland.’ In February, M&S managing director for food Alex Freudmann criticised the heavy paperwork involved with sending goods from Britain to the Republic of Ireland.
This paperwork ‘takes hours to complete and demands detail as niche as the Latin name for the chicken that is used in our chicken tikka masala,’ he said.
A Government spokesman said: ‘Not for EU’ labelling was agreed as part of the Windsor Framework in 2023. Labelling will only be required for certain food and drink products. Many things like cakes, bread, pasta and alcohol will not need to be labelled.
‘When implemented, agreements we secured at the UK-EU Summit will reduce the need for this labelling and make it easier to move goods between the UK and Europe.
‘We will continue to work closely with businesses to support them in implementing these arrangements, helping them to continue to move their goods smoothly across the UK.’
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