'I thought this was sorted' - NI dog owner expresses shock as pet food withdrawn over Protocol
A Ballyclare dog owner has expressed his shock after a pet food company cancelled his orders over new Windsor Framework rules – saying “I thought this was sorted”.
Michael Shanks received an email from Purina saying that it would no longer supply customers of the Breeder Connect scheme because of “new trade regulations and logistics challenges that have arisen from” the deal.
The cocker spaniel owner said he was surprised because he thought the Irish Sea border issues had been resolved.
“I thought it was sorted – the red and green lane – and it wouldn’t affect me at all. I was a bit shocked when I got it. I thought ‘hold on a minute, what’s going on here?’”, he told the News Letter.
He said “I thought as long as [goods] are staying in Northern Ireland it shouldn’t be an issue” – adding that recent deals on the sea border obviously didn’t cover the pet food he had been ordering.
New protocol rules coming into effect at the end of September will require companies sending ‘business to business’ parcels to apply for the ‘green lane’ arrangements – if they are eligible – or face full EU customs checks on the red lane.
Purina have not said what specific part of the trade deal has caused them to stop supplying Northern Ireland – but in a statement they referenced “parcel services to professional breeders”. It is likely that the company would have to apply for the green lane arrangements – but not every company will be eligible.
The UK government website says “If you are a trader making business to business parcel movements between GB and NI, these will be in line with the same ‘green and red’ lane process in place for freight from 30 September”.
Goods being sent from businesses to consumers will not face the green and red lane arrangements.
Michael says that he is not a professional breeder, and he had an unexpected litter of pups. The product he ordered from Purina works out much cheaper than buying individual bags of food from the supermarket, and it is delivered.
"For an 18kg bag of the stuff I use it’s £42.50 from Purina”, Michael said. However, he says a 14kg from retailers can cost over £50.
He said: “I’ve always voted Ulster Unionist, but the past few times it has been the DUP. But I think we’ve been sold a pup. I can understand why Stormont had to get up and running again. But Brexit wasn’t took through, it wasn’t agreed properly. I blame the Tory government, they just wanted to get rid of it”.
Jim Allister said that the Windsor Framework only benefited trusted traders – like supermarkets – but “not individual customers”.
He added: ““Once more an everyday issue brings home the all pervasive stranglehold of the protocol. Here a UK citizen, wanting to buy in dog food from GB for his pet, is told by EU law he can’t! This is foreign unaccountable law and diktat in action. It is intolerable.”
In a statement, Purina said it would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, adding “We hope breeders and pet owners can be re-assured that our range of Purina pet food will remain available in retailers and wholesalers across Northern Ireland”.