Image: George Hodan, Brexit Referendum UK, Public Domain Pictures, Creative Commons CC0
The report “Brexit: food prices and availability” from the EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee of the UK House of Lords examines the potential impacts of Brexit on the UK food supply. 30% of the UK food supply is currently imported from the EU and a further 11% from non-EU countries under terms set by EU trade deals.
The reports finds that:
- If no trade deal is reached, UK food prices could increase because of tariffs
- If, to counter price rises, tariffs are cut on all EU and non-EU food imports, then many UK producers could be driven out of business
- Even with a trade deal between the UK and EU, leaving the customs union could cause “non-tariff barriers” such as customs and border checks, potentially overwhelming existing UK capacity and reducing availability of some products
- It would not be easy to increase either UK food production or imports from non-EU countries
- Fruit and vegetables may be particularly affected, as 37% and 40%, respectively, of UK supply of these comes from the EU
- Any price increases could lead to greater food insecurity in the UK.
Find the full report here. See also the Foodsource building block What is food security?
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