According to the British EFRA Committee, it will take at least 24 months to implement the SPS agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom. This would be a huge setback for the export of plants and flowers. VGB is again calling for the immediate suspension of checks on five flower varieties.
The British Cabinet Office had initially hoped to complete negotiations on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement between the EU and the UK in early 2027 and implement the SPS deal in the first half of 2027. However, in its report UK-EU Trade: Towards an SPS Agreement, the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee of the British DEFRA ministry expresses the expectation that it will require much more time to conclude and implement the SPS deal.
The Committee’s forecast is based on discussions with the Food and Drink Federation, Fresh Produce Consortium, CropLife UK as well as local and port authorities, among other parties. The Committee states, among other things, that the EU typically gives members around two years to implement new policies, during which the European Commission monitors the correct implementation of the rules. Even rules that can be implemented immediately are phased in.
