But they are unlikely to benefit from vastly cheaper grocery bills, industry experts and retailers have said.
The plan for shared rules on food and plant safety – part of a so-called Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement or veterinary deal – would see dozens of categories of “medium risk” goods currently subject to extensive paperwork, including veterinary approval, allowed to pass between Britain and the EU without such certifications and checks.
And several industry sources said a significant reduction in red tape would have major benefits after numerous suppliers have seen consignments turned back at the border or gone to waste because of delays or faulty paperwork.
According to figures produced by the Food and Drink Federation, the volume of foodstuffs being exported from the UK to the Continent has fallen by 34 per cent since 2019.
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Consequently, some artisanal products from Italian salamis and Spanish game pates to Cotswold cheeses and smallholder Welsh lamb are set to return to sale in Britain and the EU respectively.
Keir Starmer said on Monday that the new import regime would make food cheaper and, together with a separate deal over emissions trading, would be worth £9bn to the British economy.
A deal struck between the Government and Brussels is set to slash red tape governing food imports and exports but it could take another 12 months to be finalised (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty)
Food prices unlikely to change
Phil Pluck, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, which represents the operators of some 450 temperature-controlled warehouses and 40,000 lorries ferrying food to and from the Continent, said: “This deal certainly means we are looking at the potential for more food variety and choice. But whether that translates into lower costs is a different matter.
Retailers who rely heavily on imports from Europe said they were being hit with high administrative costs, including compulsory fees for an inspection regime at purpose-built Border Control Posts (BCPs) such as a multi-million pound facility at Sevington in Kent. Industry sources said only a fraction of consignments liable to inspection were being checked at BCPs.
But even when paperwork can be obtained, further problems arise with sending smaller food consignments across the Channel. While supermarkets can import entire lorryloads of produce for a relatively modest single fee, smaller producers must pay a similar fee despite trading in much lower volumes.
square TRADE New Brexit deal to lower supermarket prices... but not for years
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She said: “We would welcome a veterinary agreement, but unless some of these other costs disappear as well the hoped-for lower prices in a shopping basket are unfortunately likely to be minimal at least.”
Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, said: “The headlines of this agreement are very positive – friction on our border has produced a stark decline in trade since Brexit. But we still have to wait for the detail of how this is going to work because it is crucial to understand how the system can be changed and adapted to reduce this friction. That award-winning English sparkling wine remains on ice for now.”
Poland sees opportunity to increase meat imports
Poland, already Europe’s largest poultry producer and the fourth largest source of pork, now imports more than £1bn of meat to the UK – a figure which has grown by nearly 10 per cent since 2023.
Hauliers said they hoped a new deal would allow inspection authorities to prioritise dealing with large quantities of illegal meat entering the UK with a high-risk of carrying diseases such as swine fever. In February it was revealed that more than 100 tonnes of uncertified meat, much of it from eastern Europe, had been seized at the Port of Dover in the last 12 months.
“What we don’t want to do now is create another set of problems by rushing to get rid of the existing ones. Let’s take a period of time to make sure we get it right this time.”
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