Brexit 'sausage war' ceasefire as UK-EU sign landmark trade deal

Former Labour advisor Matthew Torbitt reacts to Brussels warning that the UK would be subject to EU migration laws if Britain wants to rejoin the trading bloc

|

GB NEWS

Joe Sledge

By Joe Sledge


Published: 28/05/2026

- 18:36

New rules will remove border checks and paperwork requirements on food exports from summer 2027

Labour has unveiled the first details of a major new food exports agreement with the European Union aimed at ending years of post-Brexit disruption to cross-Channel trade.

Under the agreement, paperwork requirements and physical inspections on products including dairy, fish, cheese, eggs and fresh red meat will be abolished from summer 2027.


The new arrangements will apply in both directions, benefiting British exporters selling goods into European markets as well as EU businesses importing products into the United Kingdom.

Businesses trading with Northern Ireland under the Windsor framework are also expected to see significant reductions in administrative requirements.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued guidance encouraging producers to begin preparing for the upcoming changes.

Ministers estimate the agreement could contribute up to £5.1billion annually to the British economy while reducing bureaucratic barriers for food producers and farmers.

Biosecurity minister Sue Hayman described the agreement as "great news for British food and drink businesses of all sizes".

Lady Hayman said: "By cutting unnecessary delays and paperwork at the border, the agreement will make it easier for businesses to sell our world-class produce to European customers, support jobs and help ease pressure on food prices for families."

Keir Starmer

UK and EU agree new food exports deal to end Brexit sausage wars

|

GETTY

She added Labour was working closely with farming and food businesses across the country to ensure firms were prepared to take advantage of the changes.

Once the agreement comes into force, meat exporters will no longer require veterinary certificates to prove compliance with EU standards.

Individual health certificates can currently cost businesses up to £200 per consignment.

The scale of post-Brexit paperwork requirements was highlighted in January when Broughton Transport Solutions managing director Toby Ovens told MPs his company required 26 pages of documentation to transport beef to France compared with a single document before Brexit.

EU

Mr Ovens also described incidents in which lorries carrying frozen beef were detained for up to a month because of errors in paperwork

|

GETTY

Logistics UK chief executive Ben Fletcher welcomed the agreement and described it as a "common sense solution" to the challenges facing the sector.

Mr Fletcher said logistics firms had spent considerable time and money dealing with the complexity of transporting fresh produce across borders since Brexit.

Negotiations on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement have been taking place since late last year.

Both sides are aiming to finalise the agreement ahead of the EU-UK summit scheduled for July 13.

The agreement is also expected to ease trading conditions for businesses transporting goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland by removing current health label requirements under the Windsor framework.

An estimated 16,000 British businesses stopped exporting to the European Union following Brexit because of increased administrative burdens.

Lady Hayman said the Government wanted all British producers to benefit from the agreement regardless of whether they currently trade with the EU.

She said: "We are working hand in hand with food and farming businesses up and down the country to make the most of this opportunity and want every British producer whether they currently trade with the EU or not to be ready to seize the benefits this deal will unlock."