UK and EU Draft Deal Would Scrap Brexit Food Export Checks

The UK and European Union have agreed a draft deal to remove post-Brexit checks on food and agricultural exports, according to a 200-page text circulated to EU member states ahead of a UK-EU summit later this month, BBC News reported, citing information it had obtained. The text is scheduled for discussion at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, according to the BBC.

What Would Change for Food Exporters?

The agreement, known as the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal, targets the certificates and fees exporters have paid since Britain left the EU single market, the BBC reported. Under the draft terms:

• Exports of fresh sausages, burgers, shellfish from domestic waters and seed potatoes could resume to the EU.
• The £200 Export Health Certificate, required to confirm a product meets destination-country health rules, would no longer be needed.
• The £25 Phytosanitary certificate, used to show plants or plant products are free of pests and disease, would also be scrapped.
• Inspector fees, organic certificates, some port fees and other import-export checks could be removed.
• Passports for British pets traveling into the EU would return.

Jon Walsh, chief executive and co-founder of granola, muesli and yogurt maker Bio&Me, told BBC 5 Live the draft deal sounded like "really good news," adding that vet inspection fees had forced the company to halt yogurt exports. "Every time we'd send a pallet we had to pay a vet to inspect it and that was £140, and that meant that you'd lose money… so we had to stop," Walsh said.

"It was so frustrating because it was the same person filling out the same form and yet half would make it through and half wouldn't. You just kind of give up because you're losing money."

How Much Would the Deal Be Worth?

The UK government claims the agreement will eventually deliver £5.1 billion in annual economic benefits, according to the BBC. The BBC did not report a breakdown of that figure or an independent verification.

What Is Dynamic Alignment, and Why Does It Matter?

In exchange for the eased checks, the UK is expected to commit to "dynamic alignment" — continuing to observe and adapt to existing EU regulations on plant, animal and food trade standards, the BBC reported. Draft texts on emissions trading and a youth travel and work scheme were also circulated alongside a 15-page joint statement intended for UK and EU leaders at the summit.

How Has UK Policy on Brexit Shifted?

Each element under discussion was already on the table under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said the UK would not rejoin the EU "in his lifetime," according to the BBC. The summit would have already taken place had Labour not replaced Starmer as leader in July. His successor, Andy Burnham, has said he would like to see Britain back in the EU in his own lifetime. In an interview with ITV cited by the BBC, Burnham said "public opinion has changed nationally" since the 2016 Brexit referendum, but added he would "not run ahead of public opinion" on the issue. "The public need to be the boss when it comes to whatever happens with Brexit," Burnham said.

What Happens Next?

EU member states are set to weigh the draft SPS text, along with the emissions trading and youth mobility texts, at Wednesday's Brussels meeting, the BBC reported. The documents are intended to feed into a formal UK-EU summit scheduled later this month, where leaders would consider the joint statement and finalize terms of the broader reset.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.