British food and drink exports to EU down more than a third since Brexit, NFU analysis finds
British food and drink exports to the EU fell by more than a third in the year to July compared with the same period in 2019, according to National Farmers' Union analysis of HMRC data.
British food and drink exports to EU down more than a third since Brexit, NFU analysis finds
The analysis of HMRC figures found the drop in British food and drink exports to the EU over the year to July measured against 2019, with sugar and poultry among the worst-hit categories. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the EU remains the largest trading partner for agri-food products, taking 68% of agri-food exports last year, yet trade volumes have fallen over a third since 2019.
Which products fell the most
The steepest declines span several categories:
- Sugar fell the most, down 70%
- Eggs and egg products sold to the confectionery and baking industries dropped 65% in the first seven months of the year
- Poultry exports fell 53% over the same period
- Horticultural exports fell more than 50%
- Full-year data from 2019 to 2025 shows egg and egg product exports down 74% since Brexit
The paperwork behind the collapse
Since Brexit, all food exports require customs paperwork with different codes for every single product - down to each variation of an egg product, whether fresh, dried, steamed, shelled, or with added water or sugar. The paper pulp used in egg cartons, as well as the eggs themselves, needs health certification showing freedom from disease.
Some products are shut out entirely. Seed potatoes from Britain, mainly Scotland, are banned from the EU after negotiators failed to agree equivalent standards in the 2020 trade and cooperation agreement. Before Brexit, Scotland exported about 20,000 tonnes of seed potatoes to Europe each year, worth almost £11m.
Salmon and destroyed truckloads
Andy Burnham, speaking in parliament earlier this week, said Brexit trade barriers mean entire truckloads of plants or fresh product can be destroyed because of a single missing stamp or minor paperwork delay.
Our largest food export, Scottish salmon, faces a 100% rate of document checks at the border, costing us around £100m in lost exports.
Burnham also told MPs that British burgers and other fresh meat products cannot be sold in the EU, while seed potatoes from Scotland and shellfish from Wales are banned.
What happens next
A deal to ease sanitary and phytosanitary checks was largely agreed in May, with changes expected next summer, but key details remain to be finalised. Burnham hopes to land a positive outcome in the upcoming UK-EU reset talks, with an agreement removing many of the checks on fresh farm produce exports.
The NFU is calling for transition arrangements for some UK crops grown with fungicides or breeding techniques not yet approved in the EU, so autumn and winter harvests can use the new export freedoms. Bradshaw said British farmers must retain access to precision breeding technologies and science-based plant protection products to help protect food grown for 29m households from pests and diseases.
Any changes must also provide an appropriate transition period to minimise disruption for farm businesses
He said this as the industry waits for the final details of the SPS agreement to be settled ahead of the expected changes next summer.
