UK-EU SPS Agreement - Legislation in scope

To cut red tape and costs for importing and exporting with the EU, the UK will align with EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) legislation.

To cut red tape and costs for importing and exporting with the EU the UK will align with EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) legislation; food and feed safety; and broader nutrition-related areas such as food supplements, fortified foods, food for specific groups, nutrition and health claims, and nutrition labelling; wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, key agri-food marketing standards and compositional standards; as well as regulation of pesticides and biocides.

We currently view the following listed EU legislation — and any related EU rules made under the listed EU legislation — as being in scope of the agreement. Businesses may need to take action to comply with these requirements. We expect that in many cases, these rules will replace and not add to current rules.

Since leaving the EU, there has been some divergence from EU legislation. However, in many cases that divergence has been minor or minimal. We expect UK legislation will simply align with the EU legislation below. This will of course necessitate varying levels of change across sectors, with some affected more than others.

We have provided a summary of what this means for particular sectors. We will keep you updated if this changes. We will update this list once negotiations have concluded and will follow this with detailed, practical guidance on what actions businesses will need to take.

The EU has accepted there will need to be areas where the UK will retain its own rules, as set out in the May 2025 Common Understanding. Details of these are subject to negotiation. We have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies.

We are separately considering what targeted transitional arrangements may be required for those sectors that will find it most challenging to implement the necessary changes ahead of the agreement entering into force.

General Food Law & Consumer Information

Food manufacturing, retail, and import/export operations will see changes resulting from alignment with EU food law. This alignment will update areas such as UK requirements on risk analysis, traceability and consumer information.

• Legislation included:
  • Regulation 178/2002 – General food law
  • Regulation 1169/2011 – Food information to consumers
  • Regulation 1924/2006 – Nutrition & health claims

Food Hygiene & Safety of Foods of Animal Origin

Alignment with EU hygiene rules will apply to slaughterhouses, meat processors, and dairy producers. Rules on feed hygiene remain closely aligned with the EU, ensuring that feed producers, transporters and farmers work to the same high standards for cleanliness, record‑keeping and safety. The agreement will update areas such as production standards, removing the need for certain border checks and supporting smoother movement of goods while maintaining high production and hygiene standards, including the level of hygiene checks required at the border.

• Legislation included:
  • Regulation 853/2004 – Hygiene rules for food of animal origin
  • Regulation 852/2004 – General food hygiene
  • Directive 89/108/EEC – Quick‑frozen foodstuffs

Food Additives, Flavourings, Supplements & Novel Foods

Alignment with EU rules will affect ingredient suppliers, specialist manufacturers such as infant formula producers, testing laboratories, retailers and relevant industry bodies. It will update areas such as requirements on additives, enzymes, contaminants, novel foods and marketing.

• Legislation included:
  • Regulation 1331/2008 – Common authorisation procedure for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings
  • Regulation 1332/2008 – Food enzymes
  • Regulation 1333/2008 – Food additives
  • Regulation 1334/2008 – Flavourings
  • Directive 2002/46/EC – Food supplements
  • Regulation 1925/2006 – Addition of vitamins & minerals
  • Regulation 2065/2003 – Smoke flavourings
  • Regulation 315/93 – Contaminants
  • Regulation 2015/2283 – Novel foods
  • Regulation 609/2013 – Foods for specific groups

Marketing Standards for Specific Foods

Producers and suppliers of the products covered by these rules will need to adapt areas such as their product formulations, processing methods and/or labelling to meet EU requirements. In some areas, such as on coffee and sugar composition and labelling standards, UK rules have not significantly diverged from EU rules.

• Legislation included:
  • Directive 1999/4/EC – Coffee extracts & chicory extracts
  • Directive 2000/36/EC – Cocoa & chocolate products
  • Council Directive 2001/110/EC – Honey
  • Council Directive 2001/111/EC – Sugars intended for human consumption
  • Council Directive 2001/112/EC – Fruit juices & certain similar products
  • Council Directive 2001/113/EC – Fruit jams, jellies & marmalades; sweetened chestnut purée
  • Council Directive 2001/114/EC – Certain partly or wholly dehydrated preserved milk (dehydrated/evaporated milk)
  • Regulation 1308/2013 – CMO Regulation (Marketing standards elements)

Food Contact Materials

Most rules on food contact materials are broadly aligned with EU rules, though there are some changes including on individual permitted materials and authorisation processes for some plastics. Alignment with EU rules on plastics, ceramics and other food contact materials will affect packaging manufacturers, food processors, laboratories, retailers and the NHS. It will update areas such as requirements for food contact safety, testing standards and permitted materials.

• Legislation included:
  • Directives 82/711/EEC & 85/572/EEC - Plastics testing
  • Directive 78/142/EEC – Vinyl chloride monomer
  • Regulation 1935/2004 – Food contact materials
  • Directive 84/500/EEC – Ceramic articles

Other Food‑Related Measures

Alignment with EU rules on irradiation, extraction solvents, mineral waters, organic production, lot marking and bovine identification will affect bottled water producers, organic certification bodies, irradiation facilities and operators of livestock identity systems. It will update areas such as compliance requirements for processing treatments, solvent use, product classification, certification processes and animal identification standards.

• Legislation included:
  • Directives 1999/2/EC & 1999/3/EC – Ionising radiation directives
  • Directive 2009/32/EC – Extraction solvents
  • Directive 2009/54/EC – Natural mineral waters
  • Regulation 2018/848 – Organic regulation
  • Regulation (Euratom) 2016/52 – Radioactive contamination limits
  • Directive 2011/91/EU – Food lot identification
  • Regulation 1760/2000 – Beef labelling & bovine ID

Feed Products and Hygiene

Alignment with EU rules will affect feed mills, compound feed manufacturers, farmers and veterinary nutrition bodies. It will update areas such as some compositional and hygiene requirements for feed.

• Legislation included:
  • Regulation 767/2009 – Placing on the market & use of feed
  • Directive 2002/32/EC – Undesirable substances in feed
  • Regulation 1831/2003 – Additives for use in animal nutrition
  • Regulation 183/2005 – Feed hygiene requirements
  • Regulation 2023/2419 – Organic pet food labelling

Genetically Modified Organisms

Alignment with EU Genetically Modified Organisms controls will affect biotech companies, seed suppliers, feed manufacturers, non-governmental organisations and consumer advocacy groups. It will update areas such as requirements for authorisation, traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and products derived from them. These rules keep the UK and EU approaches closely aligned, giving operators clearer and more predictable requirements when working with genetically modified organisms.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 1829/2003 – Genetically Modified food & feed authorisation
  • Regulation 1830/2003 – Genetically Modified Organism traceability & labelling
  • Regulation 1946/2003 – Transboundary Genetically Modified Organism movements
  • Directive 2001/18/EC (Part C) – Deliberate release of Genetically Modified Organisms

Animal health

Alignment with EU animal health frameworks will affect farmers, breeders, traders, veterinary authorities, public health agencies, the equine sector, pet owners, food processors and processors handling by-products. It will update areas such as surveillance, identification, registration, and movement systems of live animals, germinal products and animal by-products.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 2016/429 – Animal Health Law
  • Regulation 1069/2009 – Animal byproducts & derived products
  • Regulation 999/2001 – TSE prevention & control
  • Regulation 2160/2003 – Control of salmonella & other zoonoses
  • Directive 2003/99/EC – Monitoring of zoonoses & zoonotic agents

Animal Breeding

Alignment with EU rules will affect breeding organisations, pedigree breed societies, importers and exporters of pedigree breeding animals, genetic services companies, breeders of competition equidae, competition organisers, transporters and veterinary authorities. It will affect areas such as the recording, verification and certification of breeding animals and germinal products, as well as identification, movement requirements and conditions governing participation in competitions for equidae.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 2016/1012 - Zootechnical conditions for animal breeding and trade
  • Directive 90/428/EEC - Trade in equidae for competitions

Animal Welfare Transport and Slaughter

Alignment with EU rules will affect hauliers, abattoirs, welfare charities and enforcement inspectors. It will update areas such as transport, handling and welfare requirements.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 1255/97 – Criteria for staging points (transport)
  • Regulation 1099/2009 – Welfare at time of killing
  • Regulation 1/2005 – Animal welfare during transport

Plant Health

Alignment with EU rules will affect horticultural businesses, nurseries, importers and plant health inspectors. It will update areas such as the replacement of UK Plant Passports with EU Plant Passports enabling removal of checks at the GB-EU border and for movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. To safeguard biosecurity, it will also re-introduce a notification system for imports of high-risk plants from the EU, similar to the regime in place before the UK left the EU.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 2016/2031 - Protective measures against plant pests

Marketing of Plant Reproductive Material

Alignment with EU-aligned plant variety rights and variety listings will affect seed companies, farmers, forestry nurseries and horticultural suppliers. It will update areas such as quality and reliability requirements for seeds and propagating material, supporting UK plant breeders and growers through easier access to UK and EU markets.

• Legislation Included:
  • Directive 66/401/EEC – Fodder plant seed marketing
  • Directive 66/402/EEC – Cereal seed marketing
  • Directive 68/193/EEC – Vine propagation material
  • Directive 98/56/EC – Ornamental plant propagating material
  • Directive 1999/105/EC – Forest reproductive material marketing
  • Directive 2002/53/EC – Agricultural plant varieties – common catalogue
  • Directive 2002/54/EC – Beet seed marketing
  • Directive 2002/55/EC – Vegetable seed marketing
  • Directive 2002/56/EC – Seed potatoes marketing
  • Directive 2002/57/EC – Oil & fibre plant seed marketing
  • Directive 2008/72/EC – Vegetable propagating/planting material
  • Directive 2008/90/EC – Fruit plant propagating material
  • Regulation 2100/94 – Plant variety rights

Official Controls

Alignment with EU rules will affect port authorities, port health authorities, environmental health officers and regulated agrifood businesses, as well as importers and exporters of SPS goods. It will update areas such as official controls with the removal of certain checks at the GB-EU border and for movements from GB to NI, making trade easier. Checks on imports from the rest of the world will remain and UK check rates will align with those applied by the EU.

• Legislation included:
  • Regulation (EU) 2017/625 - Official controls across food, feed, plant & animal law

Plant Protection Products

Alignment with EU rules on active substances authorisation, residue levels and the placing on the market of plant protection products (PPPs) – commonly referred to as pesticides - will have implications for farmers and growers, agrochemical manufacturers, distributors, food retailers and other businesses using PPPs. It will require updates to approval processes for plant protection products, compliance with EU residue limits in food and adherence to EU rules governing the marketing and use of PPPs.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 1107/2009 – Authorisation of plant protection products
  • Regulation 396/2005 – Maximum pesticide residue levels

Biocidal Products Regulation

Alignment with EU rules on biocidal active substance approval and biocidal product authorisation will have implications for biocidal active substance and product manufacturers, as well as distributors and users of biocidal products. It will require adherence to EU requirements governing the making available and use of biocidal products. These changes may affect product authorisation, labelling, supply chains and the operational practices of organisations across the biocides sector.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 528/2012 – Making available on the market and use of biocidal products

Sanitary and Phytosanitary – Other

Alignment with EU rules on certain hormonal and similar substances including controls on the use of bovine somatotrophin (BST), will affect cattle and pig farmers, veterinary service providers and meat processors and will require updates to controls on the use of hormonal substances in livestock production and related veterinary requirements.

• Legislation Included:
  • Directive 96/22/EC - Prohibition of hormonal/thyrostatic substances in stock farming
  • Council Decision 1999/879/EC – Placing on the market and administration of bovine somatotrophin (BST)

Veterinary Medicines – Residue Limits and trade-relevant aspects of antimicrobial resistance

Rules governing pharmacologically active substances used in veterinary medicines remain closely aligned with EU legislation so businesses involved in the veterinary medicines supply chain can continue to operate to the same residue limits and safety assessments as now.

Alignment with EU rules on residue limits and veterinary medicines will affect pharmaceutical companies, livestock producers, regulators and food safety authorities.

• Legislation Included:
  • Regulation 470/2009 - maximum residue limits for veterinary medicines
  • Regulation 2019/6 - trade-relevant rules on antimicrobial resistance

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-eu-sps-agreement-legislation-in-scope