18.06.2025
On 20 May 2025 the EU & UK announced a substantial, joint agri-food deal which will establish a new EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone to simplify, streamline and reduce costs associated with trading between the two areas. The full detail of the agreement is subject to some further negotiation which is being urgently concluded – so that the full ‘reset’ agreement between UK and EU can be finalised in the short term. In summary, this welcome new deal removes significant layers of administration and cost to all parties in the Seed Industry, including these three very important areas:
- The removal of Plant Health Certificates including Phyto-sanitary Certificates, saving time and costs
- Removal of Certificates of Inspection for Organic products, as well as the removal of marketing standards certification requirements, saving hours of extra
Here at Seed Developments, we worked hard alongside our many EU customers and suppliers to ensure a smooth transition in the post post January 2020 period period to ensure the minimum disruption to our supply chain to and from the EU. We are proud of our achievements in this area which quickly ensured transits moved smoothly across the borders. With average consignment durations achieving the same timescales as before the introduction of the rules in 2021.
The provisions in the new EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone ‘reset’ agreement will undoubtedly bring a significant and welcome reduction in paperwork and costs for everyone, whilst still protecting the essential biosecurity measures.
