British Food and Drink Exports to EU Down by More Than a Third Since 2019

British food and drink exports to the European Union fell by more than a third in the year to July compared with the same period in 2019, according to NFU analysis of HMRC data reported by The Guardian.

The analysis points to sharp falls across several categories. Sugar exports to the EU were down 70% in the year to July compared with the same period in 2019, the largest drop among food and drink categories.

Poultry exports fell 53% in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period in 2019. Exports of eggs and egg products fell 65% over that seven-month comparison.

A longer comparison shows a deeper fall for eggs. Full-year data from 2019 to 2025 showed exports of eggs and egg products to the EU down 74%. Horticultural exports from Britain to the EU have fallen by more than 50% since Brexit.

Seed potatoes offer one detailed example. Before Brexit, Scotland exported around 20,000 tonnes of seed potatoes worth almost £11m to Europe each year. Sales from Britain, mainly Scotland, were banned from the EU after trade negotiators failed to agree on equivalent standards in the 2020 Brexit trade and cooperation agreement.

The United Kingdom formally left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the EU accounted for 68% of UK agri-food exports last year.