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Foie gras has been served in one form or another at the banquets of the pharaohs and the court of Louis XIV.But present-day fans are losing the battle to keep foie gras on the menu in Britain, after years of campaigning by opponents appalled at its production by force-feeding ducks and geese.The latest attack comes ...

Whisky, cheese and chocolate producers have suffered the biggest post-Brexit export losses in the food and drink sector, new figures from HMRC have shown.Analysis of the figures by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) shows that cheese exports in January plummeted from £45m to £7m year on year, while whisky exports n...

Britain’s Covid vaccine programme faces a two-month delay in the event of an EU export ban, derailing the government’s plans to reopen the economy this summer, an analysis for the Guardian reveals. A ban, due to be debated by leaders of the 27 EU member states on Thursday, would badly stall the UK vaccination effort...

Boris Johnson went out of his way this week not to blame Delhi for the later-than-expected arrival of 5m doses of the Oxford vaccine from India, which is contributing to a significant dip in supplies in April.“No, no, no,” he said, when asked by a reporter whether Delhi had blocked the export of the vaccines, as the...

Brexit red tape and disruption to global trade from pandemic leaves businesses ‘severely strained’Three-quarters of British manufacturers are struggling to cope with delays in moving goods in and out of the EU amid continuing disruption caused by Brexit and the Covid pandemic, industry figures said.Two months after the UK left the EU on trade terms agreed by Boris Johnson’s government, research from the manufacturing...

Boris Johnson confirmed in his ‘correction’ of European council president over outright ban claimCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe EU has conceded that the UK did not ban vaccine exports, as Boris Johnson waded into a row with Brussels by publicly “correcting” the European council president over his claims about British policy.The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday that Charles Michel, the...

Cabinet Office used ‘unverifiable data’ to rebut a Road Haulage Association survey showing export volumes dropped by 68%The Cabinet Office run by Michael Gove has been officially reprimanded by the UK Statistics Authority for using unpublished and unverifiable data in an attempt to deny that Brexit had caused a massive fall in volumes of trade through British ports.The criticism follows a story in the...

Ministers considering ‘lighter touch’ regime to avoid disruption to supplies from blocMinisters are preparing to relax post-Brexit plans for border checks on food and other imports from the European Union because of fears that they will further damage trade and could lead to severe shortages in UK supermarkets.The Observer has been told by multiple industry sources that Boris Johnson’s new Brexit minister, Lord Frost,...

Move follows claim Boris Johnson broke international law for second time over Northern IrelandThe European parliament has postponed setting a date for ratifying the trade and security deal with Britain after Boris Johnson was accused of breaking international law for a second time over Northern Ireland.The chamber’s political groups agreed on Thursday to wait, in light of the latest row with Downing Street, with...

Amendment to trade bill proposing House of Lords members examine genocide claims is not workable, peers are toldA compromise in the long-running battle to secure UK judicial input into whether foreign powers are committing genocide appears to have collapsed after protests from No 10.An amendment to the trade bill due to be debated in the Lords on Tuesday proposes that a committee of five...

Arlene Foster and senior MPs want new post-Brexit trade arrangements to stop disruption at Irish Sea portsThe leader of the Democratic Unionist party, Arlene Foster, and senior DUP MPs are launching a legal action challenging the Brexit deal’s Northern Ireland protocol.They will be joining other unionists from across the UK in judicial review proceedings unless alternative post-Brexit trade arrangements are put in place that...

Maroš Šefčovič tells Dáil in Ireland he wants new committee to find solutions to trade problemsThe EU is seeking to “de-escalate” Brexit tensions in Northern Ireland with the establishment of a new “clearing house” committee to work out solutions to issues caused by new trade barriers including controls on supermarket and chilled meat supplies.The European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič said the introduction of the...

Government has not been straight with fishing industry, says Sam Baron of Baron Shellfish in BridlingtonA lobster exporter who is winding up his 60-year-old family business has blamed the government for failing to be honest about Brexit red tape and hidden costs.Sam Baron, who worked alongside his father to set up Baron Shellfish in Bridlington, east Yorkshire, said the government had failed to be...

Whitehall rejects reports of 68% drop in goods exported and says freight flows at normal levels on some daysThe government has sought to defend its record over Brexit after freight industry leaders claimed exports to the EU had nosedived since the transition period ended on 31 December.When Boris Johnson announced on Christmas Eve that he had secured a last-minute Brexit deal he insisted there...

Expert’s criticism comes as thinktank warns of more friction if UK fails to manage relationship with BrusselsThe EU and UK have behaved like an “absentee landlord” in relation to Northern Ireland, an expert on Brexit in the region has said, as a new report by the Institute for Government warned of more conflict across all issues “if the UK fails to manage the relationship”...

Hauliers say Cabinet Office minister ignored warnings, amid fears that worse is to come with introduction of import checks in JulyThe volume of exports going through British ports to the EU fell by a staggering 68% last month compared with January last year, mostly as a result of problems caused by Brexit, the Observer can reveal.The dramatic drop in the volume of traffic carried...

Decision came after council withdrew 12 staff at Larne following reports of ‘menacing behaviour’ Brexit checks on animal and food products arriving into Belfast and Larne ports have been suspended amid fears over the safety of staff, Northern Ireland’s agriculture ministry has said.The decision came after Mid and East Antrim borough council agreed on Monday night to remove 12 of its staff at Larne...