This week, the EU-UK forum held its inaugural conference with a focus on how they co-exist post-Brexit and sustain a functioning relationship.

While the theme may have been looking forward, inevitably there remains much looking back, particularly to the agreement on the NI protocol, which hasn’t turned out to be the agreement the UK thought it made.

The window of good will at the end of last week when the EU accepted the UK request for an extension on the transition period for transporting manufactured meat from Britain to Northern Ireland also appears to have been short-lived.

Sir David Frost, who leads for the UK on EU relations, was particularly robust in an Irish Times opinion piece on where they see the protocol going.

For his part, European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefcovic, who leads for the EU, told the EU-UK forum conference that the EU would step up legal action against the UK if protocol issues are unresolved.

Standoff

A Brexit standoff may be good for political soundbites, but prolongs uncertainty for businesses.

Perhaps the most positive contribution to the conference came from Lindsay Appleby, head of the UK mission to the EU, when he talked about discussing sensible ways to implement the protocol based on bespoke solutions.

This has been an obvious requirement, irrespective of what the UK government signed up to as part of the withdrawal agreement.

There is plenty of evidence from the business sector that ... the agreement serves the interests of Northern Ireland well

There is plenty of evidence from the business sector that, particularly for agri food, the agreement serves the interests of Northern Ireland (NI) well.

Overall, UK exports of beef and sheepmeat have collapsed to the EU by 80% and 33% respectively, according to Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) export figures for the first four months of 2021.

However, NI exports have remained unaffected and continues to develop, as demonstrated by Moy Park’s announcement of a deal to supply Iceland stores in the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday of this week.

Disruption to supply chains

There is no denying that there is disruption to supply chains sourcing product from Britain.

While there is evidence that this has created opportunity for NI and Republic of Ireland businesses to substitute, the disruption of choice is a politically sensitive issue.

Ultimately, no matter what the deal or legal action pursued by the EU, implementation of the protocol depends on the UK government to implement.

That, as the UK’s head of representation to the EU suggests, will require a bespoke solution that reduces the friction on trade between Britain and NI.

Ideally, this would be achieved through alignment on veterinary standards.

This would reopen the EU door to exports from Britain, as well as enable the Republic of Ireland to continue trade with Britain after 1 October, when the UK begins enforcing border controls on imports.

However, the UK government is unwilling to consider this at present, so it is a case of finding what works.

Dealing with the practicalities of Brexit will enhance understanding in a way not possible before experiencing the disruption. Surely a solution can be found.