Irish PM says Northern Ireland protocol extension very positive sign - RTE

DUBLIN - The European Union and Britain should use an extension to one of the contentious aspects of the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol to hammer out a longer term deal, national broadcaster RTE quoted Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin as saying.

Britain asked Brussels for the extra time last week to resolve a dispute over whether chilled meat products such as sausages, produced in the mainland United Kingdom, can continue to be sold in Northern Ireland.

Martin said the extension - which RTE reported on Wednesday had been informally agreed by EU member states - should be taken as a very positive sign but that a deal on veterinary checks was needed to solve the issue long term.