MPs backed the NFU’s call for a transition period and key exemptions in any future UK-EU food safety agreement, saying farmers should not be left exposed to sudden adjustments to EU rules or lower levels of competition.
The Efra Committee’s new report reflects long-standing concerns raised by unions as negotiations continue towards a common SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) area covering food safety and animal and plant health regulations.
Negotiations could begin in November 2025, with the UK becoming subject to certain EU regulations as early as June 2027.
While it was agreed that a short list of exemptions existed, MPs said the nature and scope of these carve-outs remained unclear and would need to be carefully negotiated.
The report, titled UK-EU Agricultural Trade: Making the SPS Agreement Work, calls on ministers to ensure an implementation period to avoid what the industry fears is a potential regulatory “cliff edge”.
Lawmakers also called for agriculture-specific protections, including exemptions for precision breeding and safeguards regarding animal welfare standards.
The committee said the government should explore “Swiss-style exemptions” on welfare rules, allowing the UK to maintain its own standards as long as they do not fall below EU standards.
MPs have warned that UK farmers must not be hit hard by imports from countries with lower welfare standards, especially as Defra’s animal welfare strategy could further increase domestic requirements.
“In response to this report, the government should set out practical steps it can take to protect producers,” committee members wrote.
The report also supports the NFU’s call for a precision breeding exemption to allow England to continue developing crops using gene editing techniques under the Precision Breeding Act.
MPs said it was important to maintain England’s “first-mover advantage” and warned that technological progress must not be sacrificed in the pursuit of a deal.
Concerns were also raised about the approval of pesticides and the harmonization with the EU of maximum residue limits (MRLs), the legal limit for pesticide residues in food.
Without a transition period, lawmakers warned there could be serious repercussions. A report commissioned by CropLife UK estimates that if adjustments are made immediately in mid-2027, losses could be between £500 million and £810 million in the first year alone for the arable, horticulture and sugar sectors.
The Efra committee said EU rules on issues such as mycotoxins and pesticide use “should not be forced on UK producers” and called for guarantees that UK scientific evidence is reflected in future decisions.
Following the report, NFU chairman Tom Bradshaw said farmers needed time to adapt.
“We have made it clear to governments that we need a sufficient transition period to avoid catastrophic impacts on homegrown food production,” he said.
He added that “the level of risk has increased since we submitted our evidence to the Efra Commission” and warned that farmers must not “have their hands tied by arbitrary deadlines”.
Mr Bradshaw said the union was also still concerned about imports, adding: “As we push for higher production standards in the UK, we also cannot allow low-standard imports to undermine British food.”
He said a well-negotiated agreement could still bring benefits: “A well-negotiated agreement will remove friction, free trade and ensure we can continue producing high-quality food.”
EFR committee chairman Alistair Carmichael said the deal should bring “huge benefits to UK businesses, farmers and consumers”, but warned there was “a lot on the menu for the government to consider”.
He added: “We must avoid unnecessary burden and burden on farmers from products produced overseas, where animals are treated worse than in the UK.”
“This will be a zero-sum game and will pose a threat to an already wary industry,” he said.
The government is expected to respond to the commission’s recommendations as negotiations continue ahead of the proposed 2027 adjustment deadline.
