| Author (Corporate) | United Kingdom: House of Lords: Select Committee on the European Union |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Stationery Office (TSO) |
| Series Title | 14th Report |
| Series Details | (2017-19)HL129 |
| Publication Date | 10/05/2018 |
| Content Type | Policy-making, Report |
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The United Kingdom: House of Lords: Select Committee on the European Union: EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee published a report Brexit: food prices and availability on the 10 May 2018. This investigated the potential impacts of Brexit on the price and availability of food for UK consumers. Key findings 30% of food eaten in the UK came from the EU, and another 11% from non-EU countries under the terms of trade deals negotiated by the EU. Whilst the UK Government hoped to negotiate a trade agreement to allow tariff-free and ‘frictionless’ imports of food to continue, this was by no means a guaranteed outcome. The Committee found that even in the ‘best case scenario’, with no tariffs and few customs barriers, international rules would oblige the UK to conduct more customs and borders checks than was currently the case. If an agreement cannot be negotiated by the time the UK left the EU the increase in tariffs could lead to significant price rises for consumers, whilst the additional customs workload could choke the UK’s ports and airports and significantly disrupt food deliveries. The Committee found that EU food imports could not easily be replaced by either producing more in the UK or importing more from non-EU countries. UK self-sufficiency had been declining for the past 30 years, and could not quickly be reversed, whilst even Food Minister George Eustice MP downplayed the scale of new post-Brexit trade deals when he appeared before the Committee. |
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| Source Link | https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201719/ldselect/ldeucom/129/129.pdf |
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| Subject Categories | Business and Industry |
| Countries / Regions | United Kingdom |
