NFU calls for safeguards to stop undercutting imports in future EU deal

Farmers must not be left exposed to abrupt EU rule alignment and lower-standard competition, MPs have said, as they backed NFU calls for a transition period and key exemptions in any future UK-EU food safety deal.

A new report from the Efra Committee has echoed long-standing concerns raised by the union as negotiations continue towards a common SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) area covering food safety and animal and plant health rules.

Talks began in November 2025 and could see the UK align with certain EU regulations as early as June 2027.

While it has been agreed there will be a short list of exemptions, MPs said the nature and extent of these carve outs remain unclear and must be negotiated carefully.

The report, titled UK-EU agri-trade: making an SPS agreement work, urges ministers to secure an implementation period to avoid what industry fears could become a regulatory “cliff-edge”.

MPs also called for agriculture-specific protections, including exemptions for precision breeding and safeguards around animal welfare standards.

The committee said the government should seek a “Swiss-style exemption” on welfare rules, allowing the UK to retain independent standards provided they do not fall below those in the EU.

MPs warned that UK farmers must not be undercut by imports from countries with lower welfare standards, particularly as Defra’s Animal Welfare Strategy could raise domestic requirements further.

“In its response to this report, the government should set out the practical measures it will take to protect producers,” committee members wrote.

The report also backed NFU calls for an exemption for precision breeding, ensuring England can continue developing crops using gene editing technology under the Precision Breeding Act.

MPs said it was important to preserve England’s “first-move advantage”, warning that technological progress should not be sacrificed in pursuit of a deal.

Concerns were also raised over aligning pesticide approvals and Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), the legal limits for pesticide residues in food, with the EU.

Without a transition period, MPs warned the impact could be severe. A CropLife UK-commissioned report has estimated that immediate alignment in mid-2027 could cost the arable, horticulture and sugar sectors between £500m and £810m in the first year alone.

The Efra Committee said EU rules on issues such as mycotoxins and pesticide use “should not be forced upon producers in the UK”, and called for assurances that British scientific evidence would be reflected in future decisions.

Responding to the report, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said farmers need time to adapt.

“We’ve been clear with government – farm businesses need a sufficient transition period to avoid crippling impacts on homegrown food production,” he said.

“Since submitting evidence to the Efra Committee, the level of jeopardy has increased,” he added, warning that farmers must not have their “hands… tied by an arbitrary deadline”.

Mr Bradshaw said the union also remains concerned about imports, adding: “Nor can we allow lower-standard imports to undercut UK food when we’re driving ever higher production standards here.”

He said a well-negotiated agreement could still deliver benefits, stating: “A well negotiated agreement would remove friction, unlock trade and ensure we can continue to produce high quality food.”

Efra Committee chair Alistair Carmichael said the deal should offer “a feast of benefits for British businesses, farmers and consumers”, but warned there is “a lot on the menu for the government to consider”.

He added that “we must avoid unnecessary burdens and undercutting of farmers from products produced abroad where animals are treated worse than in the UK”.

“This would present a zero-sum game and a threat to our already wary industry,” he said.

The government is expected to respond to the committee’s recommendations as negotiations continue ahead of the proposed 2027 alignment deadline.