The British Retail Consortium, which represents the UK retail sector, and the Food and Drink Federation, which represents food and drink manufacturers, along with the National Farmers’ Union, have signed a statement on post-Brexit trade priorities.

The statement from the coalition was sent to the secretaries of state and ministers at the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Department for International Trade, Defra and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

“We cannot operate in isolation. Our farmers need imported feed and inputs and they need access to other markets for their products, especially where demand for these in the UK is insufficient,” the letter reads.

The bodies state that transitional arrangements for trade should be in place for after Brexit to avoid disruption. A bilateral free trade agreement agreed between the EU and UK for two-way tariff-free trade is a main priority set out in the letter.

Continuation

The coalition of bodies is also pressing for the UK to have the equivalent of EU preferential trade arrangements with other countries, as well as for the UK to get its share of quota for tariff-free trade after Brexit.

When future trading relationships with the EU are made clear, the UK agri food bodies state that the government should engage in formal trade negotiations with other countries.

The letter states that new trading arrangements need to “take into consideration differences in regulations and standards” and that industry stakeholders should be consulted.

Full coverage: Brexit

Coalition of UK supply chain bodies sets Brexit trade priorities

A coalition of industry bodies from across the supply chain has agreed a series of Brexit priorities for the industry and circulated it among UK government departments.