The European Union has unveiled a series of proposals that would slash the red tape burden on Irish Sea trade created by Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol. The European Commission measures would see an 80 percent reduction in checks envisaged for retail agri-food products arriving in the region from Great Britain. The proposed changes to the contentious post-Brexit trading arrangements would also remove the prospect of certain British produce, including Cumberland sausages, being banned from export to Northern Ireland. The plan also includes a 50 percent reduction in customs paperwork required to move products into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. More products and companies would be exempt from customs tariffs as a result of expanding trusted trader arrangements and a concept that differentiates between goods destined for Northern Ireland and those “at-risk” of onward transportation into the Irish Republic. The EU has also offered to legislate to ensure no disruption to …