British farmers are urging the UK government to secure critical exemptions and transition periods in ongoing post-Brexit negotiations with the European Union, as new analysis reveals a steep decline in agricultural exports to the bloc. The National Farmers’ Union warns that a deal must recognise Britain’s faster pace in approving environmental and agricultural innovations, such as gene-edited disease-resistant crops, to prevent legally grown produce from becoming unsellable.
NFU analysis of HMRC data shows that exports of British farm products to the EU have fallen by 37.4% over the five years since 2019, the last full year before Brexit, as detailed by The Guardian. The downturn has affected all major sectors, with poultry sales down 37.7%, beef exports falling 23.6%, lamb declining 14%, and dairy dropping 15.6%.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw stated that while not all of the decline could be attributed to Brexit, it illustrated the scale of damage caused by the UK’s departure. He cautioned that simply reducing trade barriers would not automatically restore EU markets, noting that rebuilding demand would require sustained time and effort. “There aren’t empty spaces on the shelves with a label saying ‘waiting for British products’,” he said.
The appeal comes as the UK and EU look to establish fortnightly high-level phone meetings to smooth negotiations on farming and other areas under a broader “reset” in relations ahead of a leaders’ summit scheduled for May or June. Following a bilateral discussion, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič agreed that formalising talks would help address issues early. A government source said both sides were keen to intensify political engagement to iron out problems and drive negotiations forward.
This diplomatic push follows what was seen as an unnecessary collapse in talks over the UK’s participation in the EU’s €150bn Safe defence programme, with the EU setting a €2bn price tag against the UK’s offer of “hundreds of millions”. Many believed the gap should have been bridged through discussion, given shared concerns over strengthening European defence amid a US retreat.
In the agricultural negotiations, the NFU is calling for the deal to provide British farmers adequate time to adapt to new rules that will apply to the Great Britain market. It also seeks specific exemptions to protect areas where the UK has advanced faster than the EU, such as in approving gene editing for crop disease resistance and certain plant protection products like a fungicide used in cereal growing. Bradshaw argued that since the EU is moving in a similar direction on plant technologies, it should agree to “carve outs and transition arrangements” rather than hinder UK progress.
Bradshaw highlighted that outside the EU, the UK has been able to move more swiftly on measures such as vaccines for bovine TB and avian flu. He stressed that an adequate transition period is essential to ensure crops grown legally under current GB regulations do not become unmarketable after any new agreement is reached.
