DUP backs new EU law on pet food being added to the Windsor Framework

Although the new EU regulation – concerning organic pet food – brings Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK on this occasion, the TUV leader said its implementation in the province abandons the constitutional principle of our laws being made by either the NI Assembly or Westminster.

At present, pet food must have 100% organic ingredients to be legally marketed as organic within the EU.

The new legislation introduced at Stormont on Monday will reduce the organic content requirement to 95% – the same as the requirement in Great Britain.

The assembly motion was jointly proposed by the first and deputy first ministers, with DFM Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP), saying a failure to back the regulation change would leave Northern Ireland as "the only place in the UK stuck with the old rule".

Speaking during in the Assembly chamber, Mr Allister said he wanted to switch the focus away from the content of the debate, and on to the “much more important issue of the constitutional affront that this motion is”.

He said: “What this motion amounts to, is an acknowledgement and assent to, the fact that in what patently is a devolved issue, namely how we prepare animal foods, that only the EU can now make those laws for us”.

Mr Allister went on to say: “That is what this assembly is being asked to assent to, and that to me is so constitutionally absurd, and such a constitutional affront, that frankly I cannot and I will not support it”.

The motion had cross-party support and was passed by 74 votes to two, with only Mr Allister and independent Alex Easton voting against. However, nine DUP MLAs did not register a vote.

In a statement ahead of the vote, Jamie Bryson of the Centre for the Union said: “This is a watershed moment; once the DUP accept the principle that NI can be governed by EU law – and make no mistake that is what they are expressly endorsing – then there is no credible way back for unionism. It is treasonous to unionism and every MLA who votes for EU law owns the constitutional consequences”.