The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has highlighted a need for a “sensible, phased transitional approach” to alignment with the EU as part of the future sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.
NFU said this would ensure British farm businesses can “effectively produce the nation’s food” without crippling costs and loss of income.
Analysis by The Andersons Centre, commissioned by CropLife UK, outlined how immediate and complete alignment with the EU on plant protection products available could cost the arable, horticulture and sugar sectors between £500 million and £810 million in the first year alone.
Since January 2021, and following rigorous sustainability and safety testing, four new plant protection products have been approved in Great Britain (GB) that are not yet available in the EU. Immediate alignment with EU rules in June 2027 could lead to the sudden loss of access to these and other key plant protection products.
NFU said this would reduce British growers’ ability to control disease, weeds and pests in combinable crops, fruit, vegetables and root crops, hammering productivity and their ability to operate profitably.
The NFU has held meetings with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary of State, senior officials in Defra and the Cabinet Office, and with UK and EU negotiators, raising concerns about the impact a poorly implemented agreement could have.
In the meetings, NFU said it has made the case for British farmers to continue to have access to GB-approved actives until the EU rules are next reviewed, when the UK can input into the EU regulatory process.
“An SPS deal is about removing friction and unlocking trade with our largest trading partner, but we have to get it right.”
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “This report confirms what we’ve already been outlining at the highest level within Government – that there are significant risks to farm businesses and British food production which need to be very carefully managed within SPS negotiations. An SPS deal is about removing friction and unlocking trade with our largest trading partner, but we have to get it right. We are grateful for the open dialogue we’ve had with Government so far.
“Implementing appropriate transition periods is absolutely vital to enable farm businesses to adapt. For plant protection products, the best option would be for British farmers to retain access to GB-approved plant protection products until the EU rules are next reviewed, rather than being pushed towards a cliff-edge because of an arbitrary deadline.
“I hope the Government will use this opportunity to reassure growers that, in resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU, it will be negotiating hard to prevent the kinds of outcomes laid out in this report.”
NFU Crops board chair Jamie Burrows stated: “The arable sector is already under serious pressure. After one of the worst harvests in a generation and years of cereal prices being way below the cost of production, business confidence is at an all-time low. The prospect of losing access to such key crop protection tools, and hundreds of millions of pounds with them through loss of yield, would be catastrophic.
“Growing food takes long-term planning. Many growers will be making planting decisions now which will be impacted if complete alignment is implemented in June 2027 – there simply isn’t enough time to mitigate impacts or change practices.
“The UK Government needs to prioritise the future of the thousands of arable and horticulture businesses that use these critical products to produce the nation’s food – we cannot afford to lose them overnight.”
