UK EU food deal scraps Brexit red tape
UK food and drink exports to the EU: decline since Brexit (%)
What the UK-EU draft SPS agreement removes and what Britain accepts
| Barrier or certificate removed | Britain accepts in return |
|---|---|
| Export Health Certificate (up to £200 per consignment) | Dynamic alignment to EU food and plant safety rules |
| Phytosanitary certificate (up to £25 per consignment) | Automatic adoption of future EU regulations in scope |
| Organic Certificate of Inspection (avg £35) | EU rules become decisive on areas covered by deal |
| Port health authority identity check fee (avg £31 per load) | Precision breeding (gene editing) exemptions still unresolved |
| Sampling fees (up to £1,400 per salmon shipment) | No restoration of pre-Brexit fishing quotas |
| Ban on fresh sausages, burgers and shellfish to EU | Fishing rights extended at 75% of pre-Brexit quota to 2038 |
What the deal opens up
UK exports of fresh sausages, burgers, shellfish from domestic waters and seed potatoes to the EU were banned or blocked under post-Brexit rules. All four resume under the draft agreement. Scottish seed potato farmers, who lost around 20,000 tonnes of annual exports worth roughly £11 million, are among the direct beneficiaries. The government claims the full package will eventually add £5.1 billion a year to the UK economy.
The deal covers 76 EU regulations and directives on food, feed, plant and animal products.
M&S alone paid more than £1 million a year in vet sign-off fees under the post-Brexit system.
Around 16,000 British businesses stopped EU food exports entirely after Brexit -- not reduced them, stopped.
What is not yet settled
The draft text was circulated to EU ambassadors on 3 November 2026 for a Coreper meeting on Wednesday. Key details on the planned numbers in a Youth Experience Scheme linked to the broader reset package remain to be fixed at political level. The extent to which Britain must align on pesticides, biocides and animal health beyond the current draft has not been publicly defined. England has already diverged from EU rules on precision breeding of plants; the deal does not resolve that gap. No formal ratification vote has been scheduled in either parliament.
From draft to done: what must happen next
Draft 200-page SPS text circulated to EU nations (3 Nov 2026)
EU ambassadors (Coreper) discuss and clear the text (expected 5 Nov 2026)
UK-EU Summit in Brussels -- final political sign-off (20 Nov 2026)
UK parliamentary scrutiny and ratification
EU member state ratification
Agreement enters force (government target: mid-2027)
Sources: BBC News / UK government source (draft text confirmed, 3 Nov 2026 02:11Z) via Yahoo News https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/uk-eu-agree-draft-deal-021118048.html; Food and Drink Federation / FoodNavigator (34.6% decline figure) https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2025/03/14/uk-to-eu-food-exports-down-34-since-brexit/; Zetik / detailed deal terms https://www.zetik.com/news/article/story_id-p008-229089; UK Government SPS explainer https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68
