UK and EU agree draft deal to scrap Brexit red tape over food exports
The UK and EU have drafted a significant agreement to remove post-Brexit sanitary and phytosanitary checks on food and agricultural exports. This deal aims to reduce trade friction and costs, potentially benefiting the UK economy by £5.1bn annually.
Why it matters
This represents a major step in the 'Brexit reset,' easing trade barriers that have hampered UK-EU food exports since the UK left the single market.
Image source, Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images By Faisal Islam Economics editor Published 23 minutes ago The UK and EU have agreed a draft deal on removing post-Brexit checks from food and agriculture exports, ahead of the UK-EU summit later this month.
The BBC understands the 200-page draft text for this so called "SPS" [sanitary and phytosanitary] agreement has been circulated to EU nations in Brussels for consideration at a meeting on Wednesday.
Similar texts for deals on emissions trading and a youth travel and work scheme have also been circulated alongside a 15-page draft joint statement for UK and EU top leaders.
The food deal is the most significant part of the so-called Brexit reset agreed so far, removing checks and red tape that hit exporters after the UK exited the EU's single market.
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