The real-world trade friction with the EU that meat processors have been living with every day was the subject of a debate in Parliament on Wednesday 7 January. While discussions didn’t get into the technical minutae, it’s encouraging that these issues are being given air time in Parliament.

Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick set the tone by emphasising that the layers of bureaucracy now involved in sending Welsh lamb and beef to continental markets are more expensive, more unpredictable and more damaging to confidence than before, piling cost and risk onto an already margin-tight industry.

There was also a broader concern about asymmetry, with UK exports being subject to far higher inspection rates at EU borders than EU products face entering the UK under the Border Target Operating Model.

Across party lines MPs agreed that the industry needs predictability, and debated whether a better SPS framework could recover some of the lost market share in beef exports since 2019. There was also an appeal from a Labour MP to recognise animal welfare as central to any new arrangement, reflecting constituent concern that future trade policy should not compromise on standards.

On the Government side of the Chamber Kate Dearden, Under Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted that exporters are still facing “real-world frictions” and that the current regime hasn’t delivered the frictionless trade businesses hoped for post-Brexit.

The new SPS framework would scrap export health certificates in most cases and end routine SPS border control checks on fresh meat moving into the EU, allowing those consignments to travel more like they did pre-Brexit and cutting delays that eat into shelf life and price. There was also specific mention of reopening EU market access for products that have been effectively shut out under the old regime, such as fresh sausages and burgers, helping processors diversify what they can export.

Crucially, ministers stressed that this isn’t about lowering standards. The UK would still require all consignments to meet agreed rules for animal health, food safety and welfare. The SPS agreement wouldn’t bring the UK back into the EU customs union, and would preserve the UK’s ability to set its own rules where it chooses to do so. 

The debate captured a sense of urgency from industry-focused MPs who want disruption reduced, and a government response that says a negotiated SPS agreement is the practical lever to cut the red tape that has built up since Brexit without sacrificing standards. The conversation now is about how soon an SPS agreement can be delivered and whether it will sufficiently address the day-to-day operational headaches that meat processors and exporters are reporting.

BMPA will be advocating for negotiation to be focused on the main areas that will free-up trade and not get complicated by special requests and carve-outs that would bring realtively small benefits but slow down the whole negotiation. From our discussions with Government we can see there’s a will and momentum to get this agreement over the line this year so it can come into force as quickly as practicable. We’d like to maintain that momentum.