A recent meeting of the EU’s Expert Group on Veterinary Import Controls shows a system that is becoming more active, more coordinated and more data-driven.

The Commission has decided to increase how often it reviews import rejection data by 50%, moving to three updates a year instead of two. That may sound technical, but it reflects a shift in mindset. The EU is paying closer attention to what is being stopped at the border and adjusting its controls more frequently in response.

At the same time, there is renewed emphasis on getting the basics exactly right. Border Control Posts are being reminded that consignments must be correctly categorised and fully documented, because that data feeds directly into how risk is assessed and how checks are targeted. In other words, the system is only getting less forgiving of inconsistencies.

Alongside these changes, the Commission has launched a new Task Force on Import Controls. Its role is to bring together existing groups, identify gaps in how controls are applied across Member States, and propose improvements. The expectation is that this work will feed into recommendations (and potentially regulatory changes) by early 2027.

What’s particularly notable is how this will be done. A pool of national experts will be deployed to major border posts to observe how controls operate in practice, identify bottlenecks and share solutions. This isn’t enforcement, but it is a systematic effort to tighten and align how the rules are applied across the EU.

Put all of this together and it’s clear the EU isn’t just maintaining its border regime; it is actively refining and tightening it, reducing the scope for variation or flexibility. For UK exporters, that matters. Without a comprehensive SPS agreement, we remain fully exposed to this system. 

An SPS agreement would not remove controls entirely, but it would change the baseline. It could reduce the intensity of checks, simplify certification requirements and introduce a degree of stability that is currently missing. Without it, UK exporters remain subject to a system that is not standing still, but becoming more sophisticated and more demanding.

There’s nothing dramatic in this latest update. No single headline change that transforms the landscape overnight. But taken together, it is another step in a clear direction.

The EU is tightening how it manages imports of products of animal origin. And that reinforces the case for a properly negotiated SPS agreement.