UK and EU settle draft deal to scrap Brexit checks on food trade
The 200-page text goes to EU ambassadors on Wednesday, but the food deal is not expected to take effect until the first quarter of 2028.
The UK and the EU have settled a draft agreement to remove Brexit checks on trade in food and animal products in both directions. The 200-page text on sanitary and phytosanitary rules goes to EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday. Sources told the Guardian the text is settled and will see no further negotiation.
The deal is not expected to start until the first quarter of 2028. The UK-EU summit, put back after Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister, is due on Nov. 20. Under the deal the UK would commit to "dynamic alignment", meaning it would observe and adapt to EU rules on plant, animal and food standards.
The BBC says the deal should end the need for £200 Export Health Certificates, among other fees. Drafts on emissions trading and on a youth travel and work scheme have also gone out to member states. The numbers for the youth scheme are still to be finalised.
Burnham told the Economist a deal could add up to 0.4% to . The National Farmers' Union says British food exports to the EU have fallen by a third since Brexit. According to the BBC, some pro-Brexit campaigners object to the UK applying EU rules again.
- 200-page length of the draft food trade text — BBC News
- £200 Export Health Certificate fee the deal should remove, per the BBC — BBC News
- 0.4% possible GDP increase from a deal, per Burnham — The Guardian (US)
- £17bn boost to the UK economy, as the Guardian reports Burnham's claim — The Guardian (US)
- a third fall in British food exports to the EU since Brexit, per the National Farmers' Union — The Guardian (US)
Three sides of the story
Liberal1 outlet
Burnham's EU reset and what it delivers
The Guardian runs two pieces. One says Burnham is preparing to announce EU deals worth "billions of pounds" on farm trade, access to the EU emissions scheme and a youth visa scheme. It quotes him telling the Economist that a deal could add up to 0.4% to GDP, "a number that you cannot ignore."
He tells ITV he "will not run ahead of public opinion." It also reports on an EU draft joint statement and on European pressure over on Chinese electric vehicles. The second piece, headlined "Deal finalised to remove Brexit checks on food and animal products," calls the agreement a "boon" for British food exporters.
It says smaller retailers such as delicatessens could return to buying smaller batches of cheese and wine. It says the legislation "is expected to renew controversy" over whether the UK is a "rule taker." It also recalls that a transport leader told MPs on the trade committee that Brexit paperwork had been "pure hell."
- The Guardian (US): Andy Burnham to unveil EU trade deals worth billions of pounds
- The Guardian (US): Deal finalised to remove Brexit checks on food and animal products
Center2 outlets
A draft food deal ahead of the summit
BBC News says the UK and EU "agreed a draft deal" and calls the food agreement the most significant part of the Brexit reset agreed so far. It lists the fees that could go, including £200 Export Health Certificates, and says the government claims £5.1bn of eventual annual benefits. It reports that supermarkets and farmers' representatives back the food plans while some pro-Brexit campaigners criticise them.
It quotes Shevaun Havilland, director general of the BCC, a business lobby group, saying the prime minister "deserves real credit" for starting a conversation on the future relationship with Europe. UPI's dateline report calls the deal "preliminary," cites the Guardian's sources, and gives certificate costs in dollars, $268 and $33. It repeats the National Farmers' Union's one-third fall in exports and the Calais truck delay.
It says the extra time is needed for Britain to "dynamically align" with EU rules.
Conservative0 outlets
Outlets on the right gave this story little coverage.
Which side made the stronger case?
According to the BBC, food exporters should no longer need £200 Export Health Certificates, and inspector fees and some port fees could also go. The Guardian says smaller shops such as delicatessens could go back to buying smaller batches of cheese and wine. The Guardian also reports the change is not expected to start before the first quarter of 2028. It adds that under the proposed framework, Northern Ireland retailers will "no longer have to label" products "not for the EU."
All sources: 4 articles from 3 outlets
Liberal (2)
- The Guardian (US): Andy Burnham to unveil EU trade deals worth billions of pounds
- The Guardian (US): Deal finalised to remove Brexit checks on food and animal products
Center (2)
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