In this session, the UK Trade and Business Commission met to hear from experts who can outline what the UK Government can do to support the agriculture and fishing industries post-Brexit.

The ability for the UK to reach its own trade agreements has been seen by many as a key benefit of Brexit. After replicating trade agreements with countries with whom the UK had trade deals by virtue of our EU membership, an ‘Agreement in Principle’ had at the time of this meeting been announced with Australia.

Globally the food and drink sector is typically most affected by trade barriers, with both the highest levels of tariffs and the most onerous non-tariff barriers (typically sanitary and phytosanitary or SPS measures). It was therefore unsurprising that this sector has been at the centre of stories about the impact of the changes to UK trade from January 1 2021. The change was particularly abrupt for movements from Great Britain to the EU and Northern Ireland, the latter due to the provisions of the Northern Ireland protocol.