A report by The Andersons Centre published on 29 January, commissioned by CropLife UK, shows that a badly negotiated new Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement with the EU could wipe out 10% of farm income, reducing UK food production across key staples such as wheat and potatoes, and fresh produce including apples, berries and leafy greens.
This assessment of the impact if the UK immediately followed post-Brexit EU decisions on Plant Protection Products (PPPs) underlines the necessity of a well managed transition process. The Andersons Centre considered the possible loss of crop protection tools if post-Brexit EU decisions on PPPs immediately override legitimate GB decisions taking during the same period. This covered differences in:
- Approved Active Substances (including New Active Substances approved in GB but still waiting for an EU decision)
- Authorised uses of products
- Maximum Residue Levels, particularly where GB has a higher MRL due to GB relevant Good Agricultural Practice or WTO rules.
CropLife UK CEO, Dave Bench, said “The Andersons Centre report is an important piece of evidence. We support the UK Government’s aim to seek an SPS Agreement with the EU that will reduce trade frictions. But it is important to understand the costs and consequences of different approaches before entering into an SPS deal. This report shows how damaging a badly done deal could be. We want to support the UK Government to reach a deal that ensures minimal disruption for British farmers and consumers.”
The Results
The findings in The Andersons Centre report are sobering; British growers face losing over 10% of their income due to immediate loss of crop protection tools when a new SPS deal begins. This would come at a time when farmers are already facing increasing costs for labour, fuel & other inputs, and would face increased competition in the GB market with imports from more heavily subsidised growers in the EU.
The report also touches on the challenge of managing resistance. This is an increasing challenge, particularly as warmer, wetter weather allows pests to overwinter and speed up their breeding cycles, rapidly evolving resistance across populations.
Resistance management relies on having a variety of tools, and losing more important substances could create increased resistance pressure.
Managed Alignment
The report shows that this potential impact is not inevitable. If the UK Government negotiate a process of managed alignment in the SPS deal with the EU, the potential disruption to the agri-food sector would be greatly mitigated. Growers, suppliers and manufacturers would avoid facing sudden disruptive change, and divergence would be managed gradually by following regulatory best practice, rather than an immediate ‘cliff-edge’.
A managed alignment process would provide a much smoother alignment process. GB and the EU follow essentially the same regulations (i.e. rules and standards. These decisions all have review (or ‘renewal’) points, so aligned decisions could be made as part of the envisaged single regulatory regime for GB + EU after the SPS deal comes into force.
Whatever the new single regulatory regime for PPPs looks like, it will only deliver new and innovative crop protection tools for UK growers if it operates efficiently and effectively. The UK Government must ensure significantly improved performance from the UK regulator.
Why did we commission this report?
We asked The Andersons Centre to address these questions because we have not seen any analysis or impact assessment from the UK Government since the Common Understanding Agreement was announced in May 2025. We believe that UK Government should understand the consequences and net benefits of different approaches to an SPS deal before it concludes negotiations with the EU.
As soon as it is feasible for Government to do so, it must clearly communicate the outcome of negotiations. Businesses need clarity to plan and make decisions effectively. This uncertainty is bad for business and has already delayed substantial investment decisions.
Our Key Points:
The UK Government must not head into an SPS deal without understanding what they are agreeing to. They must ensure that they understand the net benefits and consequences before signing up to an SPS Agreement.
- The UK Government must deliver a sensible transition including a managed approach to alignment, and reject any scenario that does not respect legitimately made GB decisions.
- The UK Government must ensure meaningful GB involvement in any decisions that affect GB.
This is a complex issue and it is important that the UK Government appropriately considers the net benefits and consequences before concluding the shape of a new SPS deal with the EU. This report provides vital evidence that can help UK Government reach an SPS agreement that supports the productivity and sustainability of British agri-food for the long term.
