The sausage war cuts no mustard with Northern Ireland banger lovers – thanks to our locally produced meat.
Social media reacted to reports about supposed anger over an EU bar on chilled meats entering Northern Ireland from GB with suggestions people here have Denny and Cookstown to rely on.
In Moira, Co Down, butcher Julie Price told Belfast Live people are “more traditional” in their choice of sausage.
Julie, whose family have been running the town’s McCartney’s butchers for generations, said she cannot think of any GB sausage brands available here.
She added: “People here like their sausages from the butcher’s and even if they go to the supermarket they’ll go for a local brand like Denny or Cookstown.”
The issue even sparked a Twitter spat after Environment Secretary George Eustice branded an EU ban “nonsense”, insisting “there’s no problem with our sausages” on London-based radio station LBC.
North Down Alliance MP Stephen Farry tweeted: “There is NOT a ban on sausages. Issue is with chilled meat. EU prohibits chilled food imports from rest of world but allows frozen. EU now faced with dealing with a close neighbour, ie UK, that insists on dealing with EU on same basis as a country on other side of world.”
DUP MP Sammy Wilson responded: “Spoiler: It is a ban on sausages”, to which Alliance leader Naomi Long said: “Spoiler: You told people worried about the impact of Brexit on food supply chains they could ‘go to the chippy’.”
On Twitter, John McGown added: “I find Irish sausages from Garvagh to Galway to be superior. Dennys, Hafners, Richmond, Cookstown or McAtamneys are hard to beat.”
And Mairead tweeted: “Ireland doesn’t need to import sausages.”
