UK, EU agree to ease customs checks on food and plants

The UK on Monday said its new economic agreement with the European Union eases customs checks on food and plant products to "allow goods to flow freely again".

The pact will add nearly £9 billion ($12 billion) to the British economy by 2040 and links the two sides' emissions quotas to spare British companies from the EU carbon tax, Downing Street said in a statement.

The removal of customs and administrative controls were a key priority for the UK in its negotiations with Brussels.

These discussions resulted in Monday's announcement, which also includes agreements on defence and fishing rights, five years after Britain officially departed the EU under Brexit.

The joint agreement "will make it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported" to reduce "burdens on businesses and led to lengthy lorry queues at the border", London said.

"Some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely," it added.

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The European Union is by far the UK's largest trading partner, but British exports to the bloc have fallen by 21 percent, and imports by seven percent, since it left the EU in 2020.

The document agreed upon by Brussels and London, reviewed by AFP, includes a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement (SPS) which establishes rules covering health, food safety and general consumer protection.

It allows "the vast majority of movements of animals, animal products, plants, and plant products between Great Britain and the European Union being undertaken without the certificates or controls".

In the event of a disagreement over these standards, an independent dispute resolution mechanism will be established, but the Court of Justice of the European Union remains the ultimate authority.

The Labour government hopes these SPS measures, along with closer cooperation on emissions quotas, will deliver on its mission of growing the economy.