DUBLIN - European Union member states have informally agreed to grant Britain a three-month extension to one of the contentious aspects of the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported on Wednesday.

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. 

RTE reported that member states informally agreed to do so subject to Britain continuing to align with EU food safety rules for the duration of the extension, and that both sides keep exploring a long term solution to the issue of food consignments leaving Britain for Northern Ireland.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; editing by Jason Neely) ((padraic.halpin@thomsonreuters.com; +353 1 500 1504; Reuters Messaging: padraic.halpin.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))