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The Food Programme: Brexit and Food: How is it working out?

29/01/2023

Brexit and Food: How is it working out?

BBC Radio 4 - The Food Programme, Brexit and Food: How is it working out?

Jaega Wise finds out how Brexit is working out for food producers, three years on.

Three years after the UK left the EU, and two years after the end of the transition period, Jaega Wise speaks to some UK food producers about if and how Brexit is still affecting their businesses.  The Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed with the EU allows UK businesses tariff-free trade with the EU, but as some quickly discovered at the end of January 2021, "third country" trading rules must be followed.  For most in the food sector that has meant more paperwork, having food checked by vets, and longer waits at ports. 

Jaega Wise speaks to small, medium and large business owners to find out about the ongoing impact, she hears how cocoa beans and cardboard boxes are being stockpiled in a railway arch, how growers in the Lea Valley are fighting for staff, and how a single test for water quality could shut down exports for weeks. 

The programme also hears from Professor of Economics at Bristol University Richard Davies, who explains how he has calculated the additional cost Brexit has added to all our food bills, and why he does not think the added costs are likely to come down. Plus we hear how Northern Irish producers are still being affected by the Protocol.

Despite all this, the Food and Drink Federation says trade is almost back to where it was before Brexit, but there are still many challenges that are impacting confidence in the industry.  

Presented by Jaega Wise
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

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