UK and EU plan to scrap food export checks
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MyJoyOnline
The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed a draft deal removing several checks and fees on food and agricultural exports, with estimated annual benefits of £5.1 billion for the British economy. The text also provides for some exports to resume and pets to enter with a passport, according to the BBC.
The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed a draft deal aimed at removing sanitary and phytosanitary checks on British food and agricultural exports to the EU, ahead of a summit scheduled for later in November, according to the BBC. The 200-page text was sent to EU member states for consideration before a meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday.
The deal would notably remove the £200 export health certificates, £25 phytosanitary certificates, and certain inspection, port, sampling and organic certification fees. British exports of sausages, burgers, shellfish from domestic waters and potato plants could resume, while British pets could enter the EU with a passport.
In return, the United Kingdom would commit to following changes to European rules on trade in plants, animals and foodstuffs. The British government estimates that this dynamic alignment could eventually generate annual benefits of £5.1 billion for the economy, reports the BBC.
Draft deals on the emissions trading market and a mobility scheme for young people have also circulated. Details of the number of participants in the programme still have to be finalised, while the plan to reconnect electricity markets has been postponed until 2027, according to the BBC.
