New meat industry forum convenes to discuss EU re-set

This week BMPA attended the inaugural meeting of a new meat industry forum made up of representatives from across the supply chain including processing, retail, veterinary and regulatory. The group has been set up to ensure an informed and smooth transition from current Brexit restrictions to a more trade-friendly SPS agreement.

While it's early days, we noticed a lack of information and understanding of regulatory changes that have already occurred in the EU since Brexit and which our negotiators and policy makers will need to be aware of to protect the interests of the industry. While industry players can progress talks so far, the attendance of representatives from Defra's Policy Unit will be crucial at future meetings of the forum as they will be the people tasked with drawing up the new agreement.

It also became apparent that the timing and communication of changes will be important in managing the transition. As an example, we're already hearing of a potential issue surrounding the availability of vets to sign Export Health Certificates. Despite there being no timetable for the introduction of a new SPS agreement, it seems that some vets currently employed to deal solely with post-Brexit red tape are anticipating a drop off in the need for such services and are already looking to move jobs. If too may exit those posts too early - before the new SPS agreement comes into force - the industry could face problems exporting.

Such details matter and can have costly implications for UK businesses, which is why BMPA will be working behind the scenes to highlight both the potential risks and opportunities as government embarks on the re-set.