Immediate and complete alignment with the EU on plant protection products could cost arable, horticulture and sugar sectors up to £810mn in first year alone, according to study
The NFU has reiterated the importance of avoiding a “cliff edge” and ensuring a “sensible, phased” transition to alignment with the EU under a future Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.
“This will ensure British farm businesses can effectively produce the nation’s food without crippling costs and loss of income,” the union said.
It comes as analysis by The Andersons Centre, commissioned by CropLife UK, outlines how immediate and complete alignment with the EU on plant protection products could cost the arable, horticulture and sugar sectors between £500 million and £810mn in the first year alone.
Since January 2021 four new plant protection products have been approved in Britain 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, the NFU warned.
According to the union, this would reduce British growers’ ability to control disease, weeds and pests in combinable crops, fruit, vegetables and root crops, affecting productivity and their ability to operate profitably.
For several months, the NFU has held meetings with the Defra secretary, 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 those meetings, the NFU has been making 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.
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.”
