Labelling Requirements - Financial Support for Businesses

Labelling funding for Phase 1 (October 2023) requirements. DEFRA are providing £50m extra support for business to prepare for new labelling rules as a part of the Windsor Framework. The Scheme will offer grants at a flat rate adjusted by business size for businesses who can evidence additional labelling costs​.​ 

Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) update. The Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) has been extended until 30 June 2025. The Scheme provides support to traders moving agri-food commodities and live animals from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and offers a remuneration scheme to cover traders’ certification costs, where they continue to apply. 

More information on the labelling grant and on MAS can be found in the GOV.UK guidance. 

Labelling Grant:

As outlined in the labelling guidance, to benefit from this financial support, you should keep all evidence of your costs to prepare to meet the new labelling requirements on 1 October 2023, as you may get payment retrospectively. More guidance will follow shortly on the arrangements for benefiting from this support. 

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Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS):

The Movement Assistance Scheme was developed in late 2020 to support traders moving agri-food commodities and live animals from GB to NI, who faced new requirements from 1 January 2021 under the Northern Ireland Protocol.   The scheme was scheduled to end in December 2023.  

​​What is changing?​​​ 

​​​​​MAS has been extended until 30 June 2025.

This aligns with the full implementation of the Windsor Framework. MAS will continue to accept claims for reimbursement / waiving of qualifying costs incurred on movement of goods up to 30 June 2025.

There will of course be no certification cost for moving goods under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.

There will be no change to existing processes.  

More details of the Movement Assistance Scheme expansion are included in a MAS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).