UK food export volumes to the EU have dropped by a third compared to 2019 levels, according to a report that blames Brexit 'complexity and bureaucracy'.
The report, by the the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), warns that British businesses are struggling to navigate trading arrangements with European neighbours.
It reveals that other European countries, including the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, have seen their export volumes increase since 2020, despite global trends like Covid and the Ukraine war.
The 2024 Trade Snapshot report also shows that globally, UK export volumes fell by more than a tenth (12.6%) last year, compared to 2023.
This reflects a longer-term trend, with the UK’s global food and drink export volumes down a fifth on average between 2020 and 2024, compared to between 2015 and 2019.
Meanwhile, food and drink imports from the EU to the UK grew 3.3% last year to £44.7 billion compared to 2023.
The report says that EU firms benefited from a more advantageous trading environment, even after new border checks for EU food and drink products were introduced in April 2024.
Food and drink imports to the UK are subject to fewer checks compared to British businesses exporting equivalent products to Europe, helping drive this growth.
This has contributed to total food and drink imports to the UK reaching their highest ever level, worth £63.1 billion in 2024.
On the other hand, many UK exporters, particularly SMEs, are struggling to meet the EU’s more stringent requirements, the FDF warns.
With the data revealing a concerning gap between UK food and drink imports and exports, the body is calling for a strategic approach to EU trade relations to help reverse this trend.
Balwinder Dhoot, director of industry growth at FDF, says the UK government must prioritise working with the EU, and the British food and farming industry, to remove as many of these barriers as possible.
“These latest figures show the stark reality for the UK’s 12,500 food and drink businesses who are struggling to deal with the complexity and bureaucracy that comes when trading with Europe.
“It’s important that we don’t just get a quick fix, but the right fit for the UK when it comes to our relationship with the EU."
