Committee publication · Correspondence · 18 March 2026
Letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relating to updates to the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, 9 March 2026
Summary
Baroness Hayman updates the Environmental Audit Committee on UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement negotiations, expected to conclude by summer 2026 with implementation by mid-2027. The agreement aims to reduce trading friction—particularly for SMEs—through streamlined certification and border procedures while maintaining animal, plant, and food safety standards. Government is publishing scope details, launching a business consultation, and establishing a stakeholder advisory board to support sector readiness.
Key findings
- Current UK-EU trading arrangements impose significant friction on agrifood businesses, especially SMEs, through duplicated certification, border checks, and administrative costs.
- Proposed SPS agreement will ease movement of plants, animals, food, and related goods and reopen EU market access for seed potatoes, shellfish products, and certain meat preparations.
- Agreement will require UK business alignment with relevant EU SPS legislation, necessitating operational changes including processing methods, certification, labelling, IT systems, and compliance adjustments.
- Government is publishing legislation scope, launching a Call for Information to identify business support needs, and establishing a stakeholder advisory board for co-designed guidance through mid-2027.
- Implementation target is mid-2027; negotiations expected to conclude over summer 2026; Secretary of State making Written Statement and Minister Eagle hosting MP drop-in session on 11 March.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Toby Perkins MP, Environmental Audit Committee, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), European Union, Minister Eagle, UK agrifood sector
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
“… current trading arrangements continue to present significant friction for businesses – particularly small and medium sized enterprises – due to duplicated certification requirements, border checks, and the administrative costs these impose.”
“This will be done while maintaining high standards across animal health, plant health, and food safety.”
“We are committed to providing timely, sector-specific guidance as soon as negotiations allow.”
“We will use that information to co-design and deliver support and guidance with businesses through to mid-2027.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗