The United Kingdom and the European Union agreed to ease post-Brexit food trade barriers
The UK and EU have agreed a draft deal to ease post-Brexit barriers on food and agricultural trade. It would remove requirements including export health certificates, inspection fees and other checks, and allow British exporters to resume shipments of sausages, burgers and domestically caught shellfish. The British government says it could generate about £5.1 billion in annual benefits for the UK.
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The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed a draft deal to ease post-Brexit barriers to food and agricultural trade, with EU ambassadors due to discuss it Wednesday ahead of a summit later this month. A 200-page proposed Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement has been circulated to member states, according to a BBC report cited by BGNES. The deal would remove requirements including £200 export health certificates, £25 phytosanitary certificates, inspection fees, organic certification and some port charges. It could allow exports of fresh sausages, burgers, shellfish from UK waters and seed potatoes to resume, and restore pet passports for UK pets travelling to the EU. In return, the UK would follow and adapt to existing EU rules on food, plants and animals. The government estimates annual benefits of £5.1 billion.
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Verifier’s note
BGNES and News.az report that the UK and EU agreed a draft deal to reduce post-Brexit food-trade barriers, explicitly citing the BBC; The News International also reports the draft agreement. Gazette and Belfast Telegraph focus on political reaction rather than directly reporting the agreement.