A ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario would "damage" the British pig industry, in particular its ability to export pork to the EU.
The UK's leading pig industry body said it would be easier to export pigs to China than the EU if the UK leaves without a deal.
The National Pig Association (NPA) said the publication of a range of technical notices highlighting the implications of a no deal only serve to underline the importance of securing an agreement with the EU.
“Although we have only seen a handful of all the technical notices that will be published, it will come as little surprise to us that a ‘no deal’ scenario would bear considerable impacts to the UK pig sector,” NPA senior policy, Ed Barker said.
“The most striking challenge lies in the difficulties of the UK exporting products to the EU as it would be treated as a third country in such a scenario
“In 2017 the UK exported 157,000 tonnes of pork to the EU, worth £208m, and this still represents our biggest export market for pork,” he said.
In this eventuality, new arrangements for trade would kick in from March 2019.
Exporters would have to familiarise themselves with new export codes and processes, while anyone exporting would have to deal with "serious red tape" that will likely mean having an export agent to do it for them, according to the NPA.
“Supply chains and contracts would have to be ‘reconsidered’ in light of this. In essence it is not seamless at all and the costs and barriers of moving the product would be prohibitive," Mr Barker said.
“This would offer difficulties in the export in cull sows with the irony that exporting pig products to China will probably be easier on Day One,” Ed added.
He said: “With such an integrated supply chain in pork, it is difficult to see what exporters can do to adequately prepare for third country status without passing on costs to producers, or seeing this export trade as fundamentally unviable."
With further uncertainties about the future status of permanent migrant labour, the notices underline the pig industry's for the government to find a suitable EU/UK deal that allows a continuity in frictionless trade.
