UK-EU deal could ease rules on pets, cheese and British sausages

Several UK media outlets report that the UK and EU have reached a deal to ease food trade and bring back UK-issued pet passports ahead of their November 20 summit.

The news has been welcomed by UK producers and exporters, however, sources close to the negotiations told The Connexion that the document is still an EU draft that has not yet been agreed with the UK.

We explain what the proposed agreement could change for travel and trade with France, and what still needs to happen before it can take effect.

The agreement would be a ‘sanitary and phytosanitary’ (SPS) deal, a common trade deal between countries aimed at simplifying the rules and checks governing the movement of food, animals, plants and related products across borders.

The potential (SPS) deal would bring benefits including:

• The UK could issue multi-use pet passports again, so that Great Britain residents would no longer need to buy a costly animal health certificate for each trip to France with their pet dog or cat.
  
  

• UK firms selling products such as meat pies or sausages or cheeses would once again be able to export to France and other EU countries more easily, without many of the administrative costs such as veterinary checks and certificates which are up to £200 per consignment of an individual product. Some products currently restricted could be exported again.
  
  

• French exporters of cheese, meat and other foods would also be able to sell to the UK again with less bureaucracy. Routine border checks on dairy, fish, eggs, meat and plant products entering Britain from the EU would be removed, along with many certification requirements, making importing French food into the UK faster and cheaper, particularly for small consignments. This is expected to especially benefit smaller businesses like delicatessens buying small batches of French cheese and wine.
  
  

• Travellers coming from the UK to France could once again be able to bring back products such as British sausages, cheddar and similar products in their luggage for personal consumption, though precise arrangements for personal imports remain to be confirmed. 

Note, however, that the deal would not necessarily bring an immediate end to the UK’s current ban on travellers bringing in French dairy and meat products to the UK, which it states relate to concerns over “ recent and ongoing animal disease outbreaks in the EU”.

The current ban dates from April 2025, and was introduced in a context of foot-and-mouth outbreaks, as opposed to being directly related to post-Brexit rules. The government said at the time it planned to maintain this until the affected products no longer posed any biosecurity risk.

• Trade in seed potatoes, plants and other horticultural products could become significantly easier and it would once again be possible for people to bring in seeds or plants for second homes from the UK.

As well as removing the need for veterinary or plant health certificates, the deal would be expected to remove other requirements such as Organic Certificates of Inspection for products such as organic lamb and cheese, costing £35 on average, port health authority identity check fees on meat and dairy exports which add £31 per load, and ‘sampling’, which can add about £1,200 to a cheese load, £1,400 to a salmon shipment, £440 to a load of apples, and £1,200 to a beef load.

The director general of the Provision Trade Federation - representing a wide range of British food processors, manufacturers and trading companies - said the deal, if confirmed, will be “a welcome ray of light”.

He said: “This will dramatically reduce export and import border checks and related costs with our nearest and largest trading partner.”

"Since leaving the EU, UK food companies have collectively spent billions of pounds on export health certificates, for example. In many cases this has made it too expensive for smaller businesses to export to the continent at all.” 

Has a deal been reached?

There is no official confirmation, but negotiations appear to be in the final stages and media reports say a draft will be discussed by EU ambassadors at a meeting today.

A junior minister for the UK’s ministry of the environment, food and rural affairs, Stephen Morgan, told parliament on October 29: “The department is in the advanced stages of negotiations with the European Union on a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.

“This government remains committed to concluding negotiations ahead of the next UK-EU Summit on 20 November.”

Despite media reports stating that the deal is “completed” and “agreed”, a spokesperson for the UK’s Cabinet Office was unable to confirm this to The Connexion, stating: “We do not comment on leaks or provide a running commentary on live negotiations".

EU sources also did not confirm that the deal had been “agreed”.

Sources close to the negotiations told The Connexion the document is at present an EU first draft which has not been agreed with the UK.

It is also unclear whether a final announcement will be made at the summit, although this could be an opportunity for UK and EU leaders to confirm the successful conclusion of negotiations.

Further formal steps would, however, be required before the agreement could take effect, including authorisation from the Council of the EU for the signature of a new treaty, approval from the European Parliament and the passing of a European Partnership Bill in the UK.

The UK government had been aiming for the agreement to take effect in mid-2027, although media reports – as yet not officially confirmed – suggest that implementation could now be delayed until early 2028. 

This is said to be partly as a result of the delay to the summit, which has been linked to the change of prime minister in the UK.

Another key matter expected to be raised at the summit is a youth experience visa, making it easier for young people to spend time studying or working across the Channel. 

However, issues to be addressed include quotas of visas and whether EU-resident students could study at UK home fee rates. 

Note that the university year 2027-2028 will, under current rules, be the last one under which young people from British families living in France will be able to access UK home fees, so any deal on fees would potentially benefit them as well as young people from French families.