Industry groups warn that aligning agriculture standards overnight could cost British businesses up to £810m a year
British food sector representatives have urged the government to introduce a transition period if it agrees to realign post-Brexit agriculture rules with the EU.
They warned that aligning regulations overnight would create a “cliff edge” that could cost UK businesses between £500m and £810m a year, because of the divergence in standards since Brexit.
David Bench, chief executive of Croplife, a trade organisation that represents the agrichemical sector, said: “If we do not have a transition period, it would have very damaging consequences.”
The warning comes days after the president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said that British oats used in cereals, snack bars, meatballs and veggie burgers could be rendered unsellable in the EU, because British farmers for the past five years have been allowed to use certain fungicides not yet approved by the EU.
