Britain’s oatcakes face Brussels ban under Starmer’s Brexit reset deal with EU
The historic Brexit vote in the UK may have happened almost a decade ago, but the decline continues unabated; Now EU rules on oat production have become the latest flashpoint that threatens to undermine the government’s efforts to work with the bloc.
Ministers are said to be embarking on a battle to save the humble oatcake as Keir Starmer’s government seeks to reset relations with the EU.
The UK’s efforts to realign agricultural policy with Brussels mean British oats could fall foul of regulations because they are too moldy (containing very high levels of mycotoxins); these mycotoxins proliferate in crops such as oats grown in humid coastal climates such as the UK.
Farmer groups expressed concerns last year after the European Commission imposed restrictions on mycotoxin levels in food sold in the EU.
Mycotoxins consumed at high levels can harm human health. They can be found in grain products as well as nuts and dried fruits, and when eaten in large amounts can cause a variety of adverse health effects, including kidney and liver damage, immune system suppression, and have been linked to cancer.
The concern for British farmers is that during wet, hot seasons, much of the UK oat harvest risks being condemned as unfit for human consumption under these EU rules, making the crop unsellable.
However, a 2014 study by the Food Standards Agency found that traces of toxins could be detected in a wide range of oat-based foods, but levels remained comfortably “below the tolerable daily intake”.
The UK’s own rules on mycotoxin levels have been reviewed following changes by the European Commission last year and current guidance has been deemed adequate.
Tom Bradshaw, chief executive of the National Farmers’ Union, described a reset with the EU as a “threat” if the UK became subject to tighter rules.
he said Times: “The EU’s decision to change its regulations on mycotoxins is a significant threat to British grain farmers. As a result of this decision, if the year is wet, this could limit the export of cereal products such as oats and products made with oats such as oatcakes to the EU.”
He added: “But the real concern comes with the EU resetting, which means we in the UK will also have to implement this regulation here. This could be devastating for farmers, who could face an entire crop becoming unsellable, as well as threatening the supply of products such as porridge and oatcakes.”
The anger is reminiscent of the so-called “Brexit sausage wars”, in which the UK and the EU clashed over the movement of chilled meats across the Irish Sea, sparking a political food fight in which the sausage became an absurdist symbol of the bureaucratic entanglements and surreal theater that define post-Brexit politics.
The impasse was finally resolved negotiated ceasefire The EU has agreed to lift Britain’s ban on chilled meat exports to Northern Ireland in exchange for long-term access to the UK’s fishing waters.
He has said there should be several areas in the UK where current rules are retained as the government seeks to reset relations with Brussels, but it is unclear whether the EU would agree to relax rules to accommodate rising levels of mycotoxins.
A government spokesman said Independent: “A food and drink deal would cut bureaucracy and costs, support British businesses and could boost the economy by £5.1bn a year.
“We agreed with the EU in May that there would be some areas where we would depart from EU rules.”
But they added: “We will not be able to prevent the negotiations starting next week.”
