British food sector representatives have urged the government to introduce a transition period if it agrees to realign post-Brexit agriculture rules with the EU. They warned that aligning regulations overnight would create a “cliff edge” that could cost UK businesses between £500m and £810m a year, due to divergence in standards since Brexit.
David Bench, chief executive of Croplife, a trade organisation representing the agrichemical sector, said: “If we do not have a transition period, it would have very damaging consequences.” The warning follows the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president stating that British oats could become unsellable in the EU because UK farmers have been allowed to use certain fungicides not yet approved by the EU.
The UK-EU reset aims to remove barriers that have led thousands of businesses to stop exporting to the EU and to reduce supermarket prices. The parliamentary trade select committee has said extra red tape costs the UK an extra £8.4bn, with goods trade down 18% on five years ago, and food and drink down 24%.
Talks began in London last week on a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, a target set at the May reset summit. If an SPS deal entered into force on 1 January 2027, crops grown in 2026 under British rules but still in grain stores in 2027 would be unsellable in the EU, according to the NFU.
The Andersons Centre, commissioned by Croplife, reported that UK and EU decisions on plant protection have diverged, with Britain allowing four new pesticides and herbicides still in EU approval processes. Croplife and the NFU have called for any realignment to be phased in over at least a year, ideally longer. A government spokesperson said they are focused on a deal that could deliver up to £5.1bn a year for the UK economy, slashing red tape and cutting costs.
