The UK’s Agri-food Trade Policies One Year On From Brexit

Abstract

In January 2021 the UK left the EU. Brexit was ‘done’. One year later the shape of Global Britain’s agri-food trade policies is somewhat clearer. The core EU agreements are a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), and a Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. The protocol meant that Northern Ireland remained in the EU’s Customs Union and Single Market, and in the UK’s Customs Union. It has caused considerable political controversy within Northern Ireland. Implementing these agreements – particularly sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls – has proved problematic for traders, and politically controversial. The UK’s new Global Tariff, for products that do not enter on a preferential basis, largely replicates the prohibitively high tariffs on meat, dairy and sugar, the UK inherited from membership of the EU. It has successfully ‘rolled-over’ FTA agreements the EU had negotiated with over 70 trading partners. New FTAs have been negotiated with Australia and New Zealand. These open-up the UK’s market to imports of beef, dairy products and sugar, to the chagrin of UK farmers, but the potential benefit of consumers. Existing EU suppliers to the UK face increased competition, and loss of market share. Further trade liberalisation is likely to increase the downward pressure on UK farmgate prices, feeding through to lower consumer prices.