UK refuses to sacrifice pesticide market for new EU deal

The National Farmers’ Union of the UK stated that British farmers should be allowed to continue growing genetically edited crops and using plant protection products currently banned in the EU, even if the UK signs a new agreement with the bloc.

The UK government is attempting to “reset” relations with the EU, with negotiations ongoing since last autumn, Reuters reports. However, farmers immediately set their conditions. NFU President Tom Bradshaw said at the organization’s annual conference: “We welcome the principle of improving relations with the EU — relations that reduce friction and support trade. However, the negotiations pose a real risk to UK farmers. We must not sacrifice hard-won gene-editing advancements or access to UK-approved pesticides for the sake of an EU deal.”

Agriculture and Environment Minister Emma Reynolds stated that the UK is seeking “technical adaptations and exemptions” but declined to comment on the progress of negotiations. She added that in the five years since Brexit, UK agricultural exports to the EU have fallen by 20%, a key issue the government aims to address as part of its broader EU reset.

Currently, around 14 chemical plant protection products banned in the EU post-Brexit remain permitted in the UK. CropLife UK, an association of pesticide manufacturers, reported this year that losing these authorized products could cost the agricultural sector between £500 million and £810 million (USD 676 million–1.1 billion) in the first year alone.

Tags: EU, UK