Defra has just published a major report by Andersons on the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on agri-food exports. For the UK red meat sector, the findings confirm what exporters have long felt: trading into the EU now comes with substantial extra costs and risks that are squeezing margins and eroding competitiveness.

The report quantifies the scale of these barriers across beef, lamb, pork and offal exports using Ad Valorem Equivalents to express the NTM trade barriers as a percentage of the good’s price to allow for a consistent comparison of their economic impact and distortionary effects.

Pig meat exports are hit hardest, with NTM AVEs almost reaching 40% in the High scenario for GB–EU trade. In the Medium scenario, AVEs are estimated at just over 20%. Value deterioration alone, caused by delays at the border which shorten shelf life (due to SPS checks, paperwork, sampling, queuing, etc.) accounts for around a quarter of these costs.

Red meat offal consignments face NTM AVEs averaging 11–12%, making this lower-value product line particularly exposed.

Even for beef and lamb, where the percentages are lower, the study notes that the costs are still “notable, especially in comparison to the profit margins that most UK processors achieve (frequently less than 5%)”.

Taken together, these findings show that UK red meat exports are carrying a significant additional cost burden post-Brexit. For high-volume exporters, this translates into hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost margin and reduced ability to compete with EU-based suppliers.

The report’s data-driven analysis gives weight to what many businesses have been reporting since 2021 that, without streamlining measures or a reduction in trade frictions, the sector’s long-term export position will remain under pressure. This is why BMPA welcomes comments made this week by Nick Thomas-Symonds in a speech at The Spectator that “this government thinks that in some cases, like SPS, it is in our national interest to align with the EU. We have made that choice because it is pragmatic”. What BMPA and its members would urge is that negotiations don’t become bogged-down with too many complicated ‘carve-outs’ so that an agreement can be reached quickly.

You can download and read the full Andersons report for detailed breakdowns across all meat categories and scenarios (key findings are in the Executive Summary) and we have circulated our initial comments to members.

Read more (PDF)