Food security minister Daniel Zeichner has discussed with major food businesses the government’s new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU that aims to cut costs and slash red tape.
Defra said that benefits of the SPS agreement include the scrapping of most routine border checks on food and agricultural products moving between the UK and EU, allowing faster trade across the UK and EU border, with less paperwork and at lower costs for businesses.
Trading food with the EU – the UK’s biggest export and import market – will be cheaper and easier, Defra claimed.
Defra said benefits of the new SPS agreement would include the removal of all document and physical checks at the border; and the removal of Export Health Certificates (which cost £200 per shipment of goods).
Zeichner said: “Helping businesses to grow at home, trade abroad and stimulate jobs is central to our Plan for Change.
“This deal will make trading with the EU both easier and cheaper, adding over £5bn to the economy and spurring growth that the whole country will benefit from.”