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The UK government and European Union (EU) have reportedly agreed on a draft deal to remove checks and red tape currently impacting exporters of food and agriculture products since Brexit.
On 19 May 2025, the UK and EU reached a landmark post-Brexit trade deal that included plans to pursue a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, aiming to make it easier and cheaper to move goods between the UK and the EU, as well as within the UK itself, including more convenient movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
According to BBC News, a 200-page draft text for the SPS has now been circulated to EU nations in Brussels, for consideration during a meeting today (4 November 2026).
The food deal will significantly impact businesses across the UK and EU’s food and agriculture value chain, including farmers and producers, food and beverage brands, logistics providers and retailers.
It is expected to boost the UK’s resilience following a substantial drop in exports to Europe since the UK left the EU’s single market – estimated to have fallen by around a third since 2019 – with businesses reporting rising costs and disrupted supply chains due to border delays and increased administrative burden.
The deal could see the UK once again export fresh meat and seafood products, such as burgers, sausages and shellfish, into the EU, while some routine checks on various animal and plant products will be removed completely.
This includes the removal of £200 Export Health Certificates, currently required to prove a product meets certain health requirements of the country it is being exported to.
The UK government said it expects the measures to reduce supply chain volatility, increasing food availability and resulting in lower prices for consumers.
UK food trade association The Provision Trade Federation (PTF) described the news as a “welcome ray of light for a sector beset by regulatory and inflationary costs”.
Commenting on the draft agreement, Rod Addy, the PTF’s director general, said: “Since leaving the EU, UK food companies have collectively spent billions of pounds on export health certificates, for example. In many cases this has made it too expensive for smaller businesses to export to the Continent at all. Now they may be able to reconsider that and realise some untapped potential.”
Addy said the agreement is “the best news the food industry has had in the past ten years,” with current checks and extra costs proving “hugely damaging” for exporters of short shelf-life products like dairy and chilled meats.
The PTF represents companies across food processing, manufacturing and trading, with its sectors accounting for roughly 20% of UK household expenditure on food (around £24 billion a year).
“While few have seen the wording of the draft deal yet, we believe the intent is also to allow the UK access to the EU digital TRACES system, which manages import, export and intra-EU trade for animals, plants and related products, so we should have greater visibility of any issues impacting on our commercial relationship with the EU,” Addy added.
The SPS deal was originally expected to come into effect in mid-2027 – however, according to sources cited by The Guardian, it will likely not be implemented until the first quarter of 2028 due to the UK’s change in prime minister causing a six-month delay to the second EU-UK summit, due to be held on 20 November 2026.
Earlier this year, in an exclusive piece for FoodBev, James Watson, partner at business management consultancy firm Argon & Co UK, noted that uncertainty over the deal and its timeline has threatened to “derail optimism,” exacerbated by other challenges for the F&B industry including rising operational costs and geopolitical instability adding further supply chain disruption. He noted the firm’s research suggests over half (53%) of F&B leaders have been delaying technology investments until market conditions stabilise.
While the PTF’s Addy welcomes this week’s news, he warned that the UK will still face customs paperwork, inspections and charges, with SPS “teething issues” expected similarly to those seen when the UK left the EU.
“The success of any transition period will depend on how well industry and government collaborate,” he said.
“Like many other trade associations, the Provision Trade Federation has been working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for over a year since the announcement of the Common Understanding between the UK and EU in May 2025 to highlight members’ core concerns and offer advice and support about how to tackle them. We will continue to do so to ensure the best possible outcome for food manufacturers and traders in the shortest practicable timescale.”
