UK food and drink exports to EU fall by more than a third since Brexit
NFU analysis of HMRC data shows sugar exports down 70% since 2019, as ministers weigh a deal to ease post-Brexit border checks.
At a glance
- UK food and drink exports to the EU have fallen by more than a third since Brexit, NFU analysis of HMRC data shows.
- Sugar exports fell 70%, poultry 53% and eggs and egg products 65% in the year to July versus the same period in 2019.
- The NFU wants transition arrangements while the UK and EU finalise a deal to ease post-Brexit border checks.
British food and drink exports to the EU have fallen by more than a third since Brexit, according to an analysis of HMRC data by the National Farmers' Union (NFU), with eggs, chicken and potato producers badly hit.
The figures compare the year to July with the same period in 2019. Sugar exports recorded the steepest fall, down 70%. Poultry exports fell 53%, while exports of eggs and egg products sold to the confectionery and baking industries were down 65%. Full-year data from 2019 to 2025 showed exports of eggs and egg products down 74%.
The EU is the largest trading partner
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the EU accounts for 68% of UK agri-food exports, but trade volumes have fallen by more than a third since 2019. Boris Johnson's government signed a deal on the UK's future trading and security relationship with the EU in late 2020, after the UK's formal exit earlier that year.
Food exporters have long complained about the added paperwork. Since Brexit, all food exports require customs paperwork with different codes for every product — including each variation of an egg product, whether it is fresh, dried, steamed, shelled, or contains added water or sugar. The paper pulp used in egg cartons, as well as the eggs, needs health certification to show they are free of disease.
Seed potatoes banned
The horticultural sector has also been hit hard. Seed potatoes from Britain, mainly Scotland, were banned from the EU after trade negotiators failed to agree equivalent standards in the 2020 trade and cooperation agreement. Horticultural exports fell more than 50%. Before Brexit, Scotland exported around 20,000 tonnes of seed potatoes, worth almost £11m, to Europe each year.
Andy Burnham is reconsidering Labour's red lines on EU membership under pressure to repair the economic damage of Brexit. Economists estimate the cost to the UK economy has been up to £240bn so far.
Speaking in parliament earlier this week, Burnham said Brexit trade barriers meant "entire truckloads of plants or fresh product can be destroyed because of a single missing stamp or minor paperwork delay". He said Scottish salmon, the UK's largest food export, faces a 100% rate of document checks at the border, costing around £100m in lost exports, and that British burgers and other fresh meat products cannot be sold in the EU.
Talks on border checks
Burnham said he hoped to "land a positive outcome" in the upcoming UK-EU reset talks, with a new agreement removing many of the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on fresh farm produce exports that came in after Brexit.
A deal to ease SPS checks was largely agreed in May, giving food producers time to prepare for changes expected to come in next summer, but key details remain to be finalised.
The NFU is calling for transition arrangements for UK crops grown with fungicides or breeding techniques not yet approved in the EU, so those harvested this autumn and winter can make use of the new export freedoms when they arrive next year.
Bradshaw said British farmers and growers must retain access to precision breeding technologies that strengthen food resilience to extreme weather, and to science-based plant protection products that help protect food grown for 29m households from pests and diseases. Any changes must also include an appropriate transition period to minimise disruption for farm businesses, he said.
Source: The Guardian.
Questions and answers
- How much have UK food exports to the EU fallen since Brexit?
- NFU analysis of HMRC data shows exports in the year to July were down more than a third compared with the same period in 2019. Full-year figures for eggs and egg products show a 74% fall.
- Why are British eggs and seed potatoes subject to EU restrictions?
- Post-Brexit rules require customs paperwork and health certification for every product variation, including each type of egg product. Seed potatoes were banned after trade negotiators failed to agree equivalent standards in the 2020 agreement.
- What could change under the UK-EU reset talks?
- A deal largely agreed in May would remove many sanitary and phytosanitary checks on fresh farm produce exports, with changes expected next summer. Key details are still to be finalised.
