UK food and drink exports are down by more than a third since Brexit, with claims bureaucracy is to blame.
Although some products including whisky, chocolate and cheese remain popular with EU customers, overall, there has been a sharp decline in food and drink traded with the bloc, according to the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) latest report.
It found export volumes of food fell 34.1 per cent in 2024 in comparison to 2019 figures, to 6.37bn kilograms.
The FDF blamed post-Brexit trading arrangements for the slump, highlighting how bureaucratic barriers have changed the relationship between the UK and the EU.
The UK’s global food export volumes are almost 20 per cent lower on average between 2020-2024 than they were between 2015-2019.
Although some of the fall in exports since the UK left the EU five years ago can be attributed to the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine, other countries including Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands all saw an increase in their average volumes.
“This decline shows that the UK’s challenges aren’t part of a global trend but rather unique to the UK’s post-Brexit circumstances,” the report said.
In 2024, imports of food and drink were worth £63.1bn, as imports from the EU and non-EU both increased by 3.3 per cent and 7.4 per cent, respectively.
But the EU remains the UK’s most important trading partner and accounts for 61.8 per cent of exports and 75.6 per cent of imports worth almost £45bn in 2024.
Food and drink imports to the UK are subject to fewer checks than UK businesses exporting similar products, the FDF said.
This has resulted in many smaller UK businesses finding it challenging to meet the EU’s “stringent” requirements.
The FDF is calling on the government to work with the food and drink industry to address “unnecessary barriers” to trade with the EU.
“These latest figures show the stark reality for the UK’s 12,500 food and drink businesses who are struggling to deal with the complexity and bureaucracy that comes when trading with Europe,” said Balwinder Dhoot, the director of industry growth and sustainability at the FDF.
“Government must prioritise working with the EU, and our industry, to remove as many of these barriers as possible.”
“It’s important that we don’t just get a quick fix, but the right fit for the UK when it comes to our relationship with the EU. We stand ready to work with government to develop a trade deal that will drive growth in our sector.”
A government spokesperson said: "Growth is this government’s number one priority. We are working to reduce barriers to UK and EU trade which will remove unnecessary checks and paperwork, and help tackle the cost of food."
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