UK and EU advance agreement on food trade

The UK government and the European Union have reached draft terms for an agreement intended to remove many of the certification requirements and border checks affecting trade in food, agricultural products, plants and animals.

A draft text covering sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements has been circulated to EU member states ahead of further discussions in Brussels. The proposals form part of wider efforts to reset the UK’s trading relationship with the EU and are expected to be considered before a summit scheduled for 20 November.

The agreement could significantly reduce the cost of sending food products between Britain and the EU, particularly for smaller producers and exporters that face fixed documentation charges regardless of shipment size. Requirements introduced after Britain left the single market have added administrative costs to transactions involving animal and plant products.

Export Health Certificates, which can cost around £200, and Phytosanitary Certificates, which may cost approximately £25, are among the documents expected to become unnecessary for qualifying shipments. The proposals would also remove various inspection charges, organic certification requirements and port-related procedures associated with the existing border arrangements.

These changes would affect the economics of smaller consignments. A fixed certification charge has a proportionately greater impact on a small producer dispatching a limited quantity of goods than on a larger exporter able to spread the expense across a substantial shipment. Removing those costs could make some previously uneconomic sales channels more attractive.

The draft arrangements could also reopen trade in products that have faced restrictions since Brexit, including certain fresh meat products, shellfish and seed potatoes. Suppliers would still need to comply with the relevant product standards, but the administrative route for placing goods on the European market would become less burdensome.

The British government has previously estimated that a veterinary and food standards agreement could eventually generate annual economic benefits of approximately £5.1bn. That figure is a government projection rather than savings already achieved by companies, and the final outcome will depend on the scope and implementation of the completed agreement.

The proposed simplification would require Britain to align relevant rules covering animal health, plant health and food standards with those applied by the EU. That alignment is expected to extend to future changes in the applicable regulations, affecting domestic producers as well as businesses trading directly across the border.

The resulting arrangements would therefore involve a trade-off between reduced border friction and the need for businesses and regulators to follow common standards. Some companies could benefit from lower export costs while also needing to review manufacturing methods, product specifications or compliance systems as the rules evolve.

Northern Ireland would be affected particularly directly. Food products moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland currently face requirements arising from the region’s position within the EU’s goods framework. An agreement covering the wider UK could simplify those movements and reduce paperwork for distributors and retailers operating across the Irish Sea.

Although discussions have advanced, the text has not completed the formal approval and implementation process. Contemporary reporting indicates that the arrangements may not take effect until early 2028, later than the mid-2027 timetable previously outlined by the government. Businesses must therefore continue following existing requirements until changes are formally introduced.

The draft agreement establishes a clearer potential route for reducing the costs of UK-EU agricultural trade. The final legal text, the timetable for regulatory alignment and the transition arrangements will determine how quickly exporters, importers and food manufacturers can adjust their operations.