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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Alignment with EU rules will affect hauliers, abattoirs, welfare charities and enforcement inspectors. It will update areas such as transport, handling and welfare requirements.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-eu-sps-agreement-legislation-in-scope