Committee publication · Correspondence · 17 March 2026
Correspondence from Baroness Hayman, Minister for Biosecurity, Borders and Animal Welfare, regarding SPS update, dated 9 March 2026
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Animal and plant health
Summary
Baroness Hayman updates the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) negotiations. The Government aims to conclude talks by summer 2026 with business readiness by mid-2027. The agreement will reduce friction for agrifood traders through harmonised certification, reopening markets for seed potatoes, shellfish, and meat products while maintaining standards. Government is publishing scope details, launching a business consultation, and establishing a stakeholder advisory board.
Key findings
- New UK-EU SPS agreement under negotiation targets mid-2027 implementation to reduce duplicated certification, border checks, and administrative costs for agrifood exporters, especially SMEs.
- Agreement will reopen access to EU markets for seed potatoes, shellfish products, and meat preparations currently facing export barriers.
- Businesses will need to align with EU SPS legislation, requiring operational changes to processing, certification, labelling, IT systems, and compliance procedures.
- Government publishing scope of in-scope legislation and launching a Call for Information to understand sector-specific support needs; establishing stakeholder advisory board to co-design guidance.
- Government committed to phased transparency: Written Statement to Parliament, drop-in session for MPs on 11 March, continued updates as legislation progresses and negotiations conclude.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Alistair Carmichael MP, Minister Eagle, European Union, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Notable line
“… issues directly. It will make the movement of plants, animals, food, and related goods easier, more predictable and considerably less costly.”
Key Quotes
“The agreement under negotiation is designed to address these issues directly. It will make the movement of plants, animals, food, and related goods easier, more predictable and considerably less costly.”
“The agreement will require alignment with relevant elements of EU SPS legislation, and this may necessitate operational changes for businesses whether or not they currently export to the EU.”
“We know some sectors will need more time and support to prepare than others. That is why we are also launching a Call for Information so businesses can tell us what help they need.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗