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United Kingdom

UK and EU agree draft deal to remove post-Brexit checks on food exports

The draft SPS agreement would cut red tape for food and farm exporters and could dismantle part of the Irish Sea border, with Prime Minister Burnham citing up to 0.4% extra GDP.

Photo: Yahoo News

What happened

The UK and the EU have agreed a draft deal to remove post-Brexit checks on food and agriculture exports, ahead of a UK-EU summit later this month. BBC+1 The 200-page text on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules has been circulated to EU nations in Brussels for consideration at a meeting on Wednesday. BBC+1 Similar draft texts on emissions trading and a youth travel and work scheme have been circulated, along with a 15-page draft joint statement for the leaders. BBC Under the SPS deal, Great Britain and the EU would align on trade rules for goods such as food and plants, and the move could dismantle part of the Irish Sea border. The Standard+1 The government claims the UK economy would eventually gain £5.1bn in annual benefits from the food deal. BBC

Around it

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, speaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, said a UK-EU deal could add up to 0.4% to GDP and that people would expect him to take the opportunity with both hands. BBC+1 Reaction in Northern Ireland split along familiar lines: DUP leader Gavin Robinson cited a lack of ambition by the government, while Sinn Féin Economy minister Caoimhe Archibald welcomed a step towards reducing trade friction. The Standard Elements of the wider package, including UK payments for access to the EU emissions trading scheme, face criticism that Britain is accepting rules it sought to avoid by leaving. Yahoo News The British Chambers of Commerce said 56% of exporters want customs paperwork and delays removed to help them grow. Ground News

What comes next

EU member states are due to consider the draft SPS text at a meeting on Wednesday. BBC+1 Burnham is scheduled to meet European counterparts in Brussels at a UK-EU summit on 20 November, though parts of the agreement would not be put in place until 2028. Yahoo News

Sources

  1. The StandardExpected UK-EU deal on agri-goods prompts familiar divisions
  2. Yahoo NewsAndy Burnham to unveil EU trade deals worth billions of pounds
  3. BBCUK and EU agree draft deal to scrap Brexit red tape over food exports
  4. rte.ieUK and EU reach draft agreement on food trade
  5. Ground NewsUK and EU agree draft deal to scrap Brexit red tape over food exports
  6. Whitehaven NewsPublic will expect me to grab EU deal with both hands, Burnham claims
  7. news.azUK and EU agree draft deal to remove post-Brexit food trade barriers

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