The European Union and the UK agreed on Monday 19 May to stop performing the mandatory phytosanitary checks and requiring phytosanitary certificates for five flowers and all plants, and the British will cease their border controls. When will the SPS agreement be in place?
Some good news came out of London on 19 May. At a summit there, the EU and the UK reached agreements on several issues, including security, health, defence, energy, new technologies and fisheries. Interestingly for floriculture, the EU and the UK also agreed on the establishment of a common sanitary and phytosanitary zone through a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, a so-called SPS Agreement.
This has filled the floriculture sector with joy, as several organisations like Union Fleurs, VGB, Anthos, ENA and HTA saw years of lobbying rewarded. After all, the SPS agreement puts an end to the mandatory phytosanitary inspections performed by KCB (for plants and flowers) and Naktuinbouw (for trees), the phytosanitary certificates and the checking of these certificates at the UK border. This will make exports to the UK cheaper and faster.
