Key facts
- British food and drink exports to the EU have fallen by more than a third since Brexit.
- Sugar exports are down 70% annually compared to 2019.
- Egg and egg product exports have decreased by 74% annually since 2019.
- Horticultural exports have declined by over 50%.
- Scottish salmon exports have lost £100 million due to border checks.
Exports of British food and drink to the European Union have declined by over a third since Brexit, according to new figures analyzed by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). The union's analysis of HMRC data revealed significant drops in trade volumes between the year to July and the same period in 2019. Sugar exports saw the largest fall, down 70%, while poultry exports decreased by 53% and egg products by 65% in the first seven months of the year. Full-year data from 2019 to 2025 indicated an even steeper decline of 74% for egg and egg product exports. NFU President Tom Bradshaw highlighted that the EU, the UK's largest agri-food export market, accounts for 68% of these exports, but trade volumes have significantly decreased. Food exporters have cited increased paperwork and differing customs codes for every product variation as major hurdles. The horticultural sector has also been hit hard, with seed potatoes banned from the EU due to a failure to agree on equivalent standards. Andy Burnham, a political figure, has spoken in parliament about trade barriers leading to the destruction of fresh produce due to minor delays or missing stamps, and is advocating for a new agreement to ease sanitary and phytosanitary checks.