UK puts new Brexit checks on hold while it negotiates agri-food deal

LONDON — The U.K. government has put planned Brexit border checks on fruit and vegetables on hold while it negotiates a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with Brussels.

The proposed SPS deal, committed to by both sides at a U.K.-EU summit last month, would remove the need for border checks on plant and animal products entirely.

While the agreement will take months to negotiate, on Monday the government announced it would postpone the introduction of the next raft of checks on so-called “medium risk” fruit and vegetables imports in light of talks.

The checks on fresh produce were yet to be introduced and have been repeatedly delayed amid concerns about disruption they pose to supply chains.

Industry figures welcomed the move and said it was “common-sense,” pointing to earlier calculations that the checks would have led to £200 million in higher costs and resulting higher prices.

“This Government’s EU deal will make food cheaper, slash bureaucracy and remove cumbersome border controls for businesses,” Biosecurity Minister Susan Hayman said.

“A strengthened, forward-looking partnership with the European Union will deliver for working people as part of our Plan for Change.”

SPS checks on food imports including meat, fish and dairy were introduced from April 30 2024 by the Conservative government after years of delay — but checks on fresh produce are yet to go live.

A planned October 2024 date was put back by the Labour government to July this year, but this has now effectively been delayed indefinitely.

The government has said the checks are now scheduled to come in on Jan. 31 2027 — by which time they will likely not be required due to the planned SPS agreement.

That agreement will see the U.K. align with EU sanitary and phytosanitary rules in order to cut red tape on food, plants and animals at the border.

Nigel Jenney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, said: “This is a unique and sector-specific exemption, and one we’ve fought long and hard to achieve.”

“We’re proud to have secured a common-sense solution that protects our diverse and critical industry — from supermarket supply chains to the thousands of SMEs in wholesale and foodservice.”