Sausage wars: DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donalson furious that products from McCartney's in Moira subject to different rules than rest of UK

The discussion began when Conservative MP Alexander Stafford MP said his constituency in Rother Valley had many great butchers.

He asked Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker: “What assurances can the minister give me that everybody, no matter where they are in the United Kingdom can taste Rother Valley sausage?”

Mr Baker said: “I am delighted to confirm to my honourable friend that residents of Northern Ireland will be able to enjoy the sausages produced by the great businesses in his constituency.

“The (Windsor) Framework ends the bans on chilled meats like sausages and seasoned lamb joints meaning that supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland will be able to stock the products customers want and have had access to for years.”

At this point DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson intervened to say: “The reality is for my constituents and for example, McCartneys delicatessen in Moira, that whilst they can bring sausages from Yorkshire or any other part of the United Kingdom that are made to British standards, the sausages they make in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, have to be made to EU standards because EU law applies for all manufactured goods in Northern Ireland.

“So why is it right to bring sausages from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and sell them in Northern Ireland but it’s not right to sell British sausages made in Northern Ireland, in Northern Ireland?”

Mr Baker said he understood the DUP leader’s passion, adding: “But he knows what we’ve done is reduce the extent of EU law in Northern Ireland to the absolute minimum, consistent with keeping open an infrastructure free border with the Republic of Ireland and I appreciate this is a compromise which for many people will go too far, but I believe that it is the right decision in these circumstances.”

Sir Jeffrey replied: “The reality is that Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market has not been fully restored by the Windsor Framework because EU law applies for all manufactured goods in Northern Ireland despite the fact that of 77 billions pounds worth of goods manufactured in Northern Ireland, 65 billion are sold in the United Kingdom, and yet all of those goods must comply with EU law regardless of where they are sold.”

He argued for the dual regulatory proposals set out in the Protocol Bill that UK law applies unless a business wants to trade with EU in which case they must follow EU.

Mr Baker said: “On the proposal for dual regulation that is not what the constituents for Northern Ireland wanted. At some point even unrelenting figures like myself do need to compromise and give the voters what they want.

“What I would say to him is I recognise that compromise is extremely difficult and we are in a position where we’ve got an opportunity to move forwards together. He knows, as I know I’m sure, that manufacturing of most of the kind of goods to which he’s referring is done to international standards and so I think in all of the circumstances this is a reasonable compromise for Northern Ireland.”