The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance on the incoming sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, which it said would help businesses understand what they need to do to prepare.
The SPS agreement is intended to take effect in mid-2027, with Defra stating that it will work with businesses to ensure a “smooth transition”.
In the latest guidance, Defra stated that exact timings of when arrangements will change are subject to the outcome of ongoing negotiations and said that it would publish updates as negotiations progress.
Biosecurity Minister Baroness Hayman said: “Our agri-food deal with the EU is great news for British food and drink businesses of all sizes, right across the UK.
“By cutting unnecessary delays and paperwork at the border, the agreement will make it easier for businesses to sell our world-class produce to European customers, support jobs, and help ease pressure on food prices for families.
“We are working hand-in-hand with food and farming businesses up and down the country to make the most of this opportunity and want every British producer – whether they currently trade with the EU or not – to be ready to seize the benefits this deal will unlock.”
BMPA calls for Government to clarify potential impact on UK business
John Powell, CEO of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), stated: “We welcome and are grateful for the further guidance that Defra has issued to support companies prepare for the UK/EU SPS Agreement.
“However, we recognise that while negotiations are underway, it is difficult for the Government to provide specific details on what the agreement might cover.
“We therefore urge them to ensure full details of the final agreement and the impact that this will have on UK business is made available to businesses as soon as an agreement is reached.”
IMTA welcomes publication of SPS guidance
A spokesperson from the International Meat Trade Association commented: “IMTA welcomes the release of this long-awaited guidance. Since December 2024, IMTA has been working to help members understand what an SPS agreement with the EU and dynamic alignment will mean for their businesses. Therefore, much of this detail won’t come as a surprise to them.
“The guidance confirms what we had anticipated, that alignment with EU rules will mean there will be alignment with the EU’s approach to checks on rest of world SPS trade. We will continue encouraging Government to negotiate with the EU to achieve a more risk-based and science-based regime. There have been many learnings from the UK’s BTOM Rest of World Regime and we feel to abandon this more pragmatic approach will be costly and retrograde. The UK should share its science and risk assessments with the EU to demonstrate the benefits of this approach.
“The guidance indicates that on trade between the UK and EU, the agreement will ‘make it easier to consolidate mixed loads containing both SPS and non-SPS goods’ and that ‘smaller consignments should become easier and more cost-effective to move as part of grouped or mixed loads’. We are encouraged to hear this as the negative impact on the groupage model has been devastating for many of our SMEs.
“We are acutely aware that negotiations are still ongoing, so it is challenging for businesses to start making changes when we don’t yet know where the landing zone is. However, we appreciate that the timelines are very tight given the stated ambition for the deal to take effect in mid-2027. We will continue to monitor and ensure members’ voices are heard.”
Government has produced a number of separate publications detailing the guidelines for each sector.
