UK and EU finalize draft deal to ease food export regulations

The United Kingdom and the European Union have reached a draft agreement to remove post‑Brexit checks on food and agricultural exports, a deal expected to be discussed at a summit later this month. The 200‑page “SPS” (sanitary and phytosanitary) text has been sent to EU member states in Brussels for consideration at a Coreper meeting on Wednesday, alongside draft texts on emissions trading, a youth travel scheme and a joint leaders’ statement.

The pact follows years of friction caused by the UK’s exit from the EU single market, which left exporters paying £200 for Export Health Certificates, £25 for phytosanitary certificates and a range of inspector, organic, port and sampling fees. By scrapping these requirements, the UK hopes to revive trade in fresh sausages, burgers, shellfish, seed potatoes and other perishable goods that have been stuck at the border. The government estimates the changes could eventually deliver £5.1 billion a year in economic benefits and will also simplify the process for taking UK pets into the EU.

Under the draft, the UK will commit to “dynamic alignment”, meaning it will continue to follow and adapt to EU plant, animal and food standards even as it diverges in some areas such as precision breeding of crops. A new European Partnerships Bill is set to provide the legal framework for this alignment, linking the UK emissions‑trading scheme to the EU system and shielding exporters from the EU’s upcoming carbon border tax. The agreement also promises to restore passport‑style documentation for UK pets and includes references to cooperation on defence, law‑enforcement databases and the EU’s “Made in Europe” initiative.

If Coreper approves the text, the final details will be hammered out at the UK‑EU summit and in subsequent political negotiations, including the numbers for a youth experience scheme and a discount on tuition fees for EU students. Supermarket chains and farmer groups have welcomed the move, while some pro‑Brexit voices warn that re‑adopting EU rules erodes the regulatory freedom promised by the 2020 trade deal. The outcome will shape how closely the UK’s food standards stay tied to Europe and could set the tone for the wider “Brexit reset” agenda.