The EU’s Brexit negotiator has said checks in the Irish Sea are needed to protect consumers in Northern Ireland against unsafe goods arriving from Britain.
Maros Sefcovic insisted it was now Brussels’ responsibility to ensure the “public health…of the people in Northern Ireland is not under threat”.
His remarks in an interview broadcast on Thursday will do little to quell simmering Unionist anger against the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Under the terms of the Brexit withdrawal deal, the province remained in the EU’s single market, meaning goods sold there must meet its standards.
Mr Sefcovic also accused the UK of launching a “politically driven” attempt to rip up the border deal with new legislation.
He refused to rule out the threat of a trade war, saying the EU would “keep all options on the table” but insisted he still hoped for a deal.
Asked how Brussels would respond to No 10 scrapping checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland, he “absolutely” ruled out a hard border with the Republic.
But such a move would represent “additional illegality in our relationship” and prompt “further action” from the bloc, he told Beth Rigby Interviews on Sky News.
“We have to make sure that the public health not only of the people in the European Union, but also the people in Northern Ireland, is not under threat.
“If the UK would proceed with this divergence agenda and the standards would simply be more wider apart, then it could be a more and more problematic question.
“Therefore it’s quite important to stick to what we agreed upon that if it comes to Northern Ireland, it would have access to the single market and that access is based on respecting the EU rules.”
Mr Sefcovic said the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which was tabled in the Commons on Monday, was “very damaging for our relationship”.
He said the EU had a problem with “all of” the proposals Britain has put on the table and that they were “not serious”, adding it “cannot accept the total elimination of checks”.
But he insisted the bloc’s own plans for a fix would drastically slash red tape for firms, with only a “couple of dozen” food trucks needing to be physically checked per day.
His remarks came as peers urged ministers to impose stricter border checks on all animal products arriving from the bloc over safety fears.
Lord Trees, a professor of veterinary parasitology, warned there is “a major risk” African Swine Fever will spread to British pig farms from the continent.
Responding during a debate Lord Benyon, the rural affairs minister, said the Government has hired 180 extra inspectors to tackle “the highest risk imports”.
