UK Food Exports to EU Fall Sharply Across Key Sectors
NFU analysis of HMRC data found steep declines in several British food exports, while a deal to ease checks still awaits final details.
Key takeaways
- Sugar exports to the EU fell 70% in the year to July compared with the same period in 2019.
- Poultry exports fell 53% in the first seven months, while egg products fell 65%.
- A deal to ease checks was largely agreed in May, but key details remain unfinished.
British food and drink exports to the European Union fell by more than a third compared with 2019, according to National Farmers’ Union analysis of HMRC data. Sugar exports recorded the largest drop, down 70% in the year to July.
Poultry exports fell 53% in the first seven months, while exports of eggs and egg products for confectionery and baking fell 65%. Full-year figures from 2019 to 2025 showed egg and egg product exports down 74%, the NFU said.
Exporters have reported added paperwork since Brexit, including customs codes and health certificates for different products. Horticultural exports fell by more than 50%, and seed potatoes from Britain remain banned from the EU, the article reported.
A deal to ease sanitary and phytosanitary checks was largely agreed in May, but key details still need to be finalized. Changes are expected next summer, and the NFU is seeking transition arrangements for crops grown using techniques or fungicides not yet approved in the EU.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the EU accounted for 68% of UK agri-food exports last year, while trade volumes had fallen by more than a third since 2019.
This article was produced with the help of AI technology. Based on reporting by the outlets listed above.
