UK and EU Agree Draft Deal to Scrap Brexit Red Tape on Food Exports

Britain and the European Union have agreed a draft deal to remove most post-Brexit border checks on food and farm goods, in what is being presented as the centrepiece of the wider reset in relations between London and Brussels. The BBC understands that a 200-page draft text for the so-called sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement has been circulated to EU governments ahead of a UK-EU summit later this month. The deal would scrap a layer of paperwork and fees that has weighed on exporters since the UK left the EU single market.

The draft is now with member states for consideration at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday. Separate draft texts covering emissions trading and a youth travel and work scheme have been circulated alongside a 15-page draft joint statement for the two sides’ leaders. The food deal is described as the most significant part of the reset agreed so far.

UK-EU Food Deal at a Glance

What Changes for Exporters at the Border

For exporters, the practical change would be sweeping. The agreement would remove the need for export health certificates costing around £200, phytosanitary certificates priced at about £25, and a range of related charges including inspector fees, organic certification costs, some port fees and sampling fees. Routine border checks on agri-food products would also stop, so fresh produce could reach shelves faster with less paperwork and fewer costs.

Goods that have been blocked since Brexit would be able to move again. UK exports to the EU of fresh sausages and burgers, shellfish caught in domestic waters and seed potatoes will be able to resume. The deal would also bring back pet passports for animals travelling from Britain into the EU, ending a system that has required owners to obtain fresh veterinary documentation for each trip.

Dynamic Alignment and the European Partnerships Bill

Under the agreement, the UK will commit to observing and adapting to existing EU regulations on plant, animal and food trade standards. This process is known as dynamic alignment. The government has already announced a European Partnerships Bill, which will provide the legal mechanism for applying new EU rules and regulations in this area.

The draft agreements are also understood to include references to UK involvement in defence cooperation schemes, access to law enforcement databases and reassurances over the EU’s “Made in Europe” plans. Key details on the planned numbers in a Youth Experience Scheme are still to be finalised at a political level in the coming days.

Why Businesses Say the Current System Is Failing

The post-Brexit trade deal signed by Boris Johnson’s government prioritised regulatory freedoms for the UK over avoiding new checks, delays and paperwork. The British Chambers of Commerce released a new analysis of its members’ views on Monday, saying the current trade relationship is “failing to deliver” and leaving firms “struggling with a thicket of Brexit red tape” nearly six years after the UK’s exit from the bloc.

Trade data underlines the strain. The Food and Drink Federation’s latest Trade Snapshot, published in October, showed UK food and drink export volumes fell by more than a tenth (11.7%) in the first half of 2026, with exports to the EU remaining on a downward trend. A government spokeswoman said a food and drink deal could deliver up to £5.1 billion a year for the UK economy, “slashing the costly red tape that only helps drive up supermarket prices and stifle trade”.

What Happens Next Before the Summit

EU ambassadors will discuss the draft agreements at the Coreper meeting on Wednesday, with some key details on the Youth Experience Scheme to be finalised at a political level in the coming days. A discount on full foreign student fees for EU students is likely to be pushed to next year, alongside a plan to reconnect electricity markets. Leaders are then expected to discuss the next stage of the relationship at the summit later this month.

Nothing in the draft is final until it is agreed by both sides and put into law. The government has framed the deal as a practical step that cuts costs for farmers, food producers and families, while critics of closer alignment will watch the European Partnerships Bill closely as it moves through Parliament.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the SPS agreement? It is a sanitary and phytosanitary deal covering the health and safety standards that govern trade in animals, plants and food products between the UK and the EU.

Which checks would be removed? Export health certificates, phytosanitary certificates, inspector fees, organic certificates, some port fees, sampling fees and routine border checks on agri-food products.

Which exports would resume? Fresh sausages and burgers, shellfish from domestic waters and seed potatoes, which have been blocked or restricted since Brexit.

Would pet passports return? Yes, under the draft deal, UK pets would be able to enter the EU with passports rather than fresh veterinary documentation for each trip.

Is the deal final? No. It is a draft text circulated to EU governments, to be discussed by EU ambassadors and then by leaders at a summit later this month.

What is dynamic alignment? It means the UK committing to observe and adapt to existing EU rules on plant, animal and food trade

standards, with the European Partnerships Bill providing the legal mechanism.