GB-EU realignment

EU and Union Jack flags

Photograph: Getty

The UK Government is negotiating with the EU to remove routine border checks on food and agricultural products and the associated costs for businesses. Whether or not you export your produce, this will affect your farmer or grower business, with changes coming into force potentially as early as mid 2027.

The negotiations will result in what is known as a Common SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) Area; SPS standards are the rules countries maintain to ensure food being imported and exported is safe for consumers and free of pests and diseases.

This means that the UK Government has agreed, in principle, to apply EU rules domestically in Great Britain for a range of legislation covering: the trade, production and movement of plants, animals and their products; food and feed safety; nutrition and health claims, and nutrition labelling; wider agri-food rules related to food labelling, organics, key agri-food marketing standards and compositional standards; as well as regulation of pesticides and biocides.

Fill out my online form.
Sort