It is widely reported this week that the UK and EU have wrapped up a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal that will free up movement of goods of an animal or plant origin.
It is scheduled to be announced at an EU - UK summit later this month though it is not expected to come into operation until early in 2028. While details are not yet available, it is likely that the deal will remove a layer of bureaucracy reintroduced when the UK left the EU single market in 2021.
Negotiations on the SPS deal began in the middle of last year and when it is in place it will likely remove the need for veterinary or plant certification to accompany movement of these products. These were a manageable bureaucracy for large meat and dairy processors; they made exports unviable for small and micro exporters. This is because the same process and procedure is required for exporting a single kilo of meat as it is for a 20t container.
An SPS deal will also simplify trade between Britain and Northern Ireland which has been politically sensitive and the “Not for EU” label widely on display in supermarkets north of the border will no longer be required as some goods will again be free to move between the UK and EU.
