UK Food and Drink Exports to EU Down Over a Third Since Brexit

British food and drink exports to the European Union have fallen by more than a third compared with pre-Brexit levels, according to new analysis of government trade data, with some sectors recording losses of nearly three-quarters.

The National Farmers' Union examined figures from HM Revenue & Customs covering the year to July and compared them against the same period in 2019, the last full year before Brexit trade arrangements took effect. The data reveals a sweeping contraction across multiple agricultural categories, with sugar exports down 70% and egg products declining 74%. Chicken and potato producers were also identified as among the worst affected.

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The EU remains the United Kingdom's largest trading partner, making the scale of the decline particularly significant for British agricultural producers who historically depended on frictionless cross-Channel trade. The introduction of border checks, customs documentation, and sanitary and phytosanitary requirements following Britain's departure from the EU single market have added time and cost burdens that many smaller exporters have struggled to absorb.

The NFU's findings add pressure on the government to address trade barriers with Brussels at a time when British farmers are already contending with rising input costs and domestic policy uncertainty. Agricultural groups have repeatedly called for a veterinary agreement or similar arrangement with the EU to reduce the paperwork and inspection requirements that have made exporting perishable goods economically unviable for some producers.

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