Brexit’s Bitter Harvest: UK Food Exports to EU Wither
In a damning indictment of Brexit’s economic fallout, a new report by the Centre of Inclusive Trade Policy (CITP) has laid bare the staggering cost to British food exporters. According to the trade think tank’s findings, UK food and agricultural exports to the European Union have plummeted by a jaw-dropping £2.8 billion per year since the country’s departure from the single market.
The stark figures, covering the three years since Britain severed ties with the EU, paint a grim picture of an industry grappling with the harsh realities of life outside the bloc. Despite initial hopes for a smooth transition, UK food exports have shown no signs of recovery, languishing well below pre-Brexit levels.
At the heart of this trade meltdown lies a labyrinth of new border checks and paperwork, introduced as the UK government implements the Brexit deal. Exporters now face a gauntlet of physical inspections and documentary hurdles, adding cost, complexity, and delay to once-seamless trade flows.
Industry’s Desperate Plea: SPS Agreement Needed
Amid the fallout, industry groups and campaigners are urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make good on Labour’s manifesto pledge to secure a veterinary agreement, known as an SPS deal, with the EU. Such an arrangement, they argue, would slash red tape, eliminate unnecessary border checks, and throw a lifeline to beleaguered exporters.
“The government needs to negotiate a new SPS agreement with the EU that reduces the need for animal health checks and veterinary involvement, smooths trade across the Channel, and crucially, dramatically cuts the amount of post-Brexit red tape for UK exporters.”
– Emma Knaggs, deputy chief executive of European Movement UK
Yet, despite the urgent need, progress on this front remains elusive. Experts warn that hammering out such a deal could take years, leaving exporters to navigate the costly quagmire of Brexit bureaucracy in the meantime.
Diverging Standards, Mounting Barriers
Compounding the woes of British food exporters is the growing chasm between UK and EU regulatory standards. Since parting ways, the two sides have embarked on divergent paths across a range of areas, from pesticides and veterinary drugs to animal welfare and packaging rules.
This regulatory drift, the CITP warns, has spawned even more border barriers, further shackling trade. As the EU and UK pull in different directions, the dream of frictionless commerce fades, replaced by a complex web of compliance hurdles and compatibility headaches.
“A more ambitious, and effective, SPS agreement will require both sides to navigate and define the flexibilities in their Brexit-era ‘red lines’. In practice, this requires taking stock of the divergence that has occurred since Brexit – in the substance and process of legislation, and in wider strategy for the sector.”
– Centre of Inclusive Trade Policy report
The Human Cost of Brexit’s Trade Barriers
Behind the billions in lost exports and reams of red tape lie the human stories of Brexit’s toll. For UK food producers, the EU market, once a seamless extension of home turf, now feels increasingly out of reach, strangled by bureaucracy and burdened by cost.
From the Scottish salmon farmer grappling with export health certificates to the Welsh cheesemaker drowning in paperwork, the challenges are mounting. Smaller producers, lacking the resources to navigate the new normal, risk being shut out altogether, their European ambitions thwarted by Brexit’s barriers.
As the UK government trumpets the promise of new trade deals further afield, many in the food industry fear that the EU market, so crucial to their success, is slipping away. Without urgent action to slash red tape and align standards, they warn, Brexit’s bitter harvest may be here to stay.
A Plea for Pragmatism and Partnership
In the face of this sobering reality, voices across the food sector are calling for a new approach – one that prioritizes pragmatism over ideology, partnership over division. They point to the SPS agreement as a crucial first step, a foundation upon which to rebuild the frayed trading relationship between the UK and its nearest neighbors.
But securing such a deal will require political will and compromise on both sides. The UK government must be willing to soften its stance on regulatory autonomy, recognizing that some alignment is the price of smoother trade. The EU, for its part, will need to show flexibility, acknowledging the unique challenges Brexit poses and working to find workable solutions.
Only by working together, industry leaders argue, can the UK and EU hope to untangle the knots of Brexit and chart a more prosperous course for their shared food and farming sectors. The alternative – a future of dwindling exports, mounting costs, and fraying ties – is a recipe for economic pain on both sides of the Channel.
As the Brexit saga enters its next chapter, the fate of Britain’s food exporters hangs in the balance. Will policymakers heed their call for a more collaborative approach, forging a path to smoother trade and shared success? Or will the bitter harvest of a hard Brexit continue to blight this vital sector? Only time will tell.
