'Exports halved after Brexit - I support new deal'

A Devon food producer has said the new UK-EU deal would reduce paperwork and the risks associated with exporting goods to the continent.

It comes after the UK and the EU reached a new agreement setting out post-Brexit relations on areas including fishing rights, trade and defence.

Newton Abbot's Westaway Sausages boss, Charles Baughan, said his export business halved after Brexit, with a typical consignment requiring 14 pages of paperwork and 49 signatures.

He said: "Everything's easier because it's not just easier for me, if you can think about the person in Malta who's importing it, who has a truck held up in Calais, that's a nightmare."

"He's paying for the driver and so on and so forth, and really, it's going to be hugely helpful for them as well," he added.

The new deal has meant EU boats will have continued access to UK waters until 2038.

In return for extending current fishing rules, the UK has secured a deal to reduce checks on food exports to the EU.

This will also see the vast majority of routine border checks on animal and plant shipments to and from the EU dropped.

Food producers, like Mr Baughan, will be able to sell raw burgers and sausages back into the EU for the first time since Brexit - which is thanks to the new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

Under the deal, the UK will be expected to follow EU rules, which are overseen by the European Court of Justice.

The UK maintains the right to break away if it keeps similar standards and avoids harming EU trade.

UK food exports to the EU have fallen, – with volumes in 2024 down 34% compared with 2019 – and the industry blames this partly on the added red tape.

But the deal comes with conditions. The UK will need to follow future EU food standards – and accept that the European Court of Justice will have the final say in any disputes in this area.

The UK will be also required to make a financial contribution. However is it currently unknown how much the payment would be and when it would be required.

Juliette Hatchman, the chief executive of the South Western Fish Producer Organisation, told BBC News the decision was "a massive blow to the fishing industry".

"When we left the common fisheries policy and the EU we were promised greater control over our waters," she said.

"Effectively the UK government has given away 12 years of guaranteed access to UK waters.

"In our eyes they've given away any sort of leverage we have for future negotiations with the EU on fisheries management."

She added: "Whilst the industry does welcome some sort of stability, the 12 years is totally unexpected and not something we were consulted on and we don't believe has actually taken into account the impact or the potential benefits for the UK fisherman that I represent."

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