The short version
- Exports of British food and drink to the European Union have fallen by more than one-third since 2019, according to National Farmers’ Union analysis of official customs data.
- Specific commodities such as egg products and sugar have seen declines exceeding seventy percent, while Scottish seed potatoes remain banned from EU markets due to unresolved regulatory standards.
- Government officials are pursuing a reset in trade relations to reduce sanitary and phytosanitary checks, though key details regarding transition periods for farming technologies remain under negotiation.
The volume of British food and drink shipped to the European Union has contracted significantly since the United Kingdom’s departure from the bloc, with new figures indicating a drop of more than one-third compared to pre-Brexit levels. Analysis conducted by the National Farmers’ Union, utilizing data from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, highlights a steep decline in trade volumes during the first seven months of the current year relative to the same period in 2019. This contraction affects the UK’s largest trading partner for agricultural goods, which accounted for nearly seventy percent of agri-food exports last year.
Certain sectors have experienced disproportionate losses. Sugar exports plummeted by seventy percent, while shipments of poultry fell by fifty-three percent over the analyzed period. The impact on egg products is even more severe; data covering the full years from 2019 to 2025 shows a seventy-four percent reduction in exports of eggs and related items used in confectionary and baking. These figures underscore the structural challenges facing producers who previously enjoyed frictionless access to European markets.
The horticultural industry has also faced substantial hurdles, particularly regarding seed potatoes. British seed potatoes, primarily grown in Scotland, are currently prohibited from entering the EU because trade negotiators could not establish equivalent standards within the 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Before the regulatory shift, Scotland exported approximately twenty thousand tonnes of seed potatoes annually to Europe, generating nearly eleven million pounds in revenue. The loss of this market represents a significant blow to regional agricultural economies.
Administrative burdens have compounded these trade deficits. Exporters report that every food item now requires detailed customs documentation with unique codes for each product variation. For instance, egg products must be categorized by their state—fresh, dried, steamed, or shelled—and whether they contain additives like water or sugar. Additionally, even the paper pulp used in egg cartons requires health certification to prove it is free from disease. These rigorous requirements have led to instances where entire truckloads of fresh produce are destroyed due to minor paperwork errors or missing stamps.
Scottish salmon, the UK’s largest food export, faces a hundred percent document check rate at borders, resulting in an estimated one hundred million pounds in lost exports. Other fresh meat products, including British burgers, are effectively barred from EU sale, while Welsh shellfish remains banned. These restrictions have created a climate of uncertainty for businesses that rely on timely delivery and consistent market access.
In response to the economic strain, government officials are reconsidering previous stances on EU membership rules. Economists estimate that Brexit has cost the UK economy up to two hundred forty billion pounds so far. During parliamentary discussions, officials expressed hope that upcoming reset talks could yield a new agreement aimed at removing many of the sanitary and phytosanitary checks imposed after the initial trade deal was signed in late 2020.
A preliminary agreement to ease these checks was largely reached in May, providing producers with some clarity on changes expected to take effect next summer. However, critical details remain unfinalized. The National Farmers’ Union is advocating for transition arrangements that would allow crops grown with fungicides or breeding techniques not yet approved in the EU to be exported once new freedoms are implemented. This request aims to minimize disruption for farm businesses harvesting during the autumn and winter seasons.
Farm leaders argue that retaining access to precision breeding technologies and science-based plant protection products is essential for strengthening food resilience against extreme weather and pests. They emphasize the need for an appropriate transition period to allow agricultural operations to adapt to new regulatory frameworks without suffering undue financial harm. As negotiations continue, the sector awaits a final agreement that could potentially reverse some of the damage inflicted by current trade barriers.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗British food and drink exports to EU collapse by more than a third since Brexit
