'Deported Dutch cucumber' is another snapshot of the absurdity of the Irish Sea border - Gaston
A “deported cucumber” – grown in the Netherlands but not allowed to return to the European Union because of Irish Sea border rules – is the latest snapshot of the absurdity of the Protocol, an MLA has said.
Timothy Gaston says Northern Ireland “is trapped in a constitutional and economic halfway house” – and that the issues go beyond trade and are about “equality of citizenship”.
The TUV politician has highlighted a cucumber for sale in a local supermarket, with the label “Grown in the Netherlands, NOT FOR EU”. He said the “deported Dutch cucumber” was marked as unfit for sale in the EU simply because it crossed the Irish Sea, despite having been grown in Europe.
Under the Windsor Framework, certain products such as fruit and veg from major retailers, are allowed to enter Northern Ireland without full EU customs checks. However, they require special ‘Not for EU’ labelling.
That’s because the deal is designed to protect the integrity of the EU single market. Products sold within the ‘UK Internal Market System’ have reduced checks entering Northern Ireland, but can’t be sold in the Republic of Ireland (EU).
However, that system has added costs for businesses, with some companies operating in Great Britain pulling out of the Northern Ireland market entirely because of bureaucratic requirements.
Mr Gaston told the News Letter: “On Monday a member of TUV went into a Belfast supermarket and bought a cucumber. Nothing unusual in that – until they looked at the label.
“It was grown in the Netherlands. It was sold in Belfast. And it carried a bold sticker declaring: ‘NOT FOR EU.’
“Think about that. An EU-grown cucumber, sitting on a shelf in Northern Ireland – yet marked ‘NOT FOR EU.’
“It’s as if this poor cucumber had been deported. Grown in the European Union, shipped across the sea, and then branded with a warning that it must not be allowed back. A deported cucumber – banished by bureaucracy.
“If ever there was a snapshot of the absurdity of the Irish Sea border and the Protocol, this is it.
“This nonsense label exists because Northern Ireland is trapped in a constitutional and economic halfway house. Businesses are forced to plaster these words across perfectly ordinary products to satisfy a trade regime imposed on us without consent. The result? Extra bureaucracy, extra cost, and a subtle but constant message to every shopper in this Province: you are not like the rest of the UK.
“While shoppers in Scotland, England and Wales simply buy groceries, we in Northern Ireland are subjected to political labelling that tells us – and the world – that our market is different. That our place in the United Kingdom is conditional. That even a cucumber here must carry a tag of political compliance.
“This goes beyond trade. It is about equality of citizenship. A deported Dutch cucumber, marked as unfit for sale in the EU simply because it crossed the Irish Sea, shows how Northern Ireland is being treated as an annex to Brussels rather than a full part of the United Kingdom.
“This cucumber tells the story of a Province burdened by red tape, confused by dual regulations, and constantly reminded that we are set apart. It’s absurd, it’s costly, and it’s political to the core”.
‘Not for EU’ labels were introduced under the Windsor Framework to provide greater assurance to the EU that products would not find their way into its single market. It initially only applied to meat products, before dairy also fell under its remit. In July it was expanded further to include eggs, fish, fruit and vegetables.
A new deal between the EU and UK on the sale of agrifood products is expected before the end of this parliament. The government believes that deal would render the scheme unnecessary.