Update on the future of organic within the UK-EU SPS agreement
On March 19th the UK and the EU announced a new strategic agreement resulting in a new joint understanding on future cooperation.
This new agreement is set out in the Joint Statement, Common Understanding, and Security and Defence Partnerships. The Common Understanding includes an agreement with the EU to deliver a agri-food deal intended to establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Zone. You can view details of this on the government website.
According to Defra, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards including organics in the scope of the SPS agreement. Whilst details remain subject to negotiations and, should these negotiations be successful, Defra expects the primary impacts of this to be that:
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the UK will regulate consistently with the EU in relation to organics
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there will be no COI checks GB-EU and EU-GB, with the same benefits extending to GB-NI movements
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there will be a formal decision shaping role for the UK in EU forums where relevant regulations are designed and decided (the UK will participate in working groups convened by the EU, and have access to important data and systems that will support the removal of trade barriers).
No timeframes on the removal of requirement for COIs have yet been made public, and Defra official stress that international agreements are complex and as such many details are still being determined. Defra advise that in the meantime, Control Bodies (e.g. Soil Association Certification) and operators (e.g. importers and exporters of regulated organic good/livestock) should continue to follow all existing requirements of the TCA.
Soil Association Certification are aware of the challenges to trade with the EU that current SPS requirements have created. As such we know this news will be welcomed by many of our clients, but equally that many will have further questions. Defra have suggested that we collate any questions from our clients and forward these to them. If you do have any questions in relation to the above, please contact regulatoryaffairs@soilassociation.org .