UK and EU move closer to slashing post-Brexit red tape

The European Union may remove the costly requirement for Scottish salmon to have export health certificates (EHCs). The move is part of a draft deal on removing post-Brexit checks from food and agriculture exports, reports the BBC. The draft has reportedly been agreed by the UK and EU ahead of the UK-EU summit later this month.

According to BBC economics editor Faisal Islam, the deal may also allow the resumption of exports of fresh shellfish from UK waters to the EU.

Islam reports that the deal should remove the need for £200 EHCs, which confirm the product meets the health requirements of the country it is heading to.

It should also end the need for £25 phytosanitary certificates, which show that plants or plant products are free from pests and diseases.

In return, the UK is expected to commit to observing and adapting to existing EU regulations on plant, animal and food trade standards - a process called “dynamic alignment”.

Lost trade and more red tape

In 2024, trade body Salmon Scotland blamed Brexit red tape for lost sales to EU countries of between £75 million and £100m per year.

It also calculated that salmon producers were paying an extra £3m a year in administrative costs due to the post-Brexit requirement for export health certificates.

A spokesperson for Salmon Scotland said the potential UK-EU agreement is a welcome step towards removing the unnecessary red tape and costs that Scottish salmon exporters face.

“We have consistently called for a comprehensive sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU to secure smoother access to our largest export market,” said the spokesperson.

“Removing the need for Export Health Certificates and reducing border checks would save businesses time and money, helping our world-class salmon reach European customers more efficiently.

“We look forward to seeing the detail of the agreement and hope both sides can move quickly to finalise it, delivering real benefits for Scotland’s salmon farmers and the coastal communities they support.”

'Very welcome news'

While removing post-Brexit export restrictions would be a boost for the salmon sector, it would be an even bigger win for shellfish farmers who generally have smaller consignments and have faced restrictions on exporting from some waters.

Nicki Holmyard and her family run the UK’s biggest mussel farm, Offshore Shellfish, operating between three and six miles offshore in Lyme Bay, North Devon.

“A return to pre-Brexit trading conditions sometime next year is very welcome news for Offshore Shellfish and is something we have been working very hard to achieve. In particular, the ability to export mussels from Grade B waters to be depurated in Europe will open the way for new businesses to develop,” Holmyard told Fish Farming Expert.

An almost daily hassle

“The removal of the need for veterinary checks and export health certificates will result in a considerable cost reduction for our company, as we export 95% of our mussels to our trading partners in the Netherlands. It will also prevent for our transport company, the almost daily hassle of queuing up for extended checks on paperwork and product.

“Since Brexit, we have experienced several episodes of rejection of our mussels by the French authorities over arbitrary rule and paperwork changes, which resulted in considerable stress and had to be resolved at government level. 

“Hopefully, the EU-UK deal will go through, and the UK government move swiftly to make the necessary legislative changes to enable UK shellfish exporters to trade without unnecessary barriers once again.”