Sir Keir Starmer’s pursuit of alignment with the European Union risks wiping out between £500million and £810million from farmers’ profits, a damning new report has revealed.
Research conducted by the Andersons Centre for CropLifeUK found an “immediate cliff-edge” scenario of alignment on agri-pesticide regulation under a new UK-EU Sanitary & Phytosanitary Agreement could also reduce food production for key staples.
Wheat production could fall by as much as 16 per cent if the UK opts to directly mirror the EU Plant Protection Product decisions, with potato production expected to face a collapse of six per cent.
The UK is currently negotiating a new SPS agreement after Sir Keir agreed to a Common Understanding Agreement in May 2025.
The Prime Minister has made a “reset” in relations with the EU a cornerstone of his premiership, sparking fears of the UK’s newfound sovereignty being handed back to Brussels.
However, Britain has already diverged from Brussels’ plant protection product decisions since formally severing ties with the bloc in 2021.
The new 23-page report found “immediate cliff-edge alignment” would involve retrospective alignment on all EU pesticide decisions, directly impacting British farmers who use herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
UK farm Gross Value Added could also fall by up to six per cent, with the food and drink manufacturing sector facing job losses of almost 9,000.
A reduction in UK food security could also increase food miles and result in prices surging on supermarket shelves.
The EU believes an SPS agreement would force the UK to align with standards approved across its 27 member states.
The UK is currently negotiating a new regulatory agreement after Sir Keir agreed to a Common Understanding Agreement in May 2025
|
PA
Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs in Denmark, said: “We now set out to deliver concrete results.
“Agreement on these areas will lead to important reductions in the burdens faced by businesses in both the EU and in the UK and will benefit consumers.
“We therefore approach negotiations with a hope that they can be finalised swiftly.”
CropLife UK is demanding answers on the Government’s goals from negotiating a new deal, hoping for “managed alignment” to ensure the sensible application of EU-derived regulations.
CropLife UK Chief Executive Dave Bench said: “Since leaving the EU, the GB regulatory regime has delivered innovative new chemistry faster than the EU, benefitting GB growers. But these benefits could be thrown away if the Government does not negotiate a good SPS deal.
“As our report highlights, the impact of a ‘cliff-edge scenario’ on British growers could be devastating. At a time of increasing pressure on farm profitability, this could prove a tipping point for many farmers and growers.
Farmers have been protesting the Inheritance tax rise since the 2024 Budget
|
PA“While we welcome the Government’s commitment to reducing the price of food for consumers, it is difficult to see how reducing domestic crop yields could help achieve that aim.”
The EU is particularly slow at updating its regulations, with changes to glyphosate yet to come into force amid political differences at the renewal review stage.
Brussels could grant product authorisation but would likely include constraints that provide little room to manoeuvre.
However, a new SPS agreement could help the sector by reducing trade barriers between Britain and the EU, with the UK’s share of agri-food exports to the bloc falling by 21 per cent in 2024.
GB News understands Sir Keir’s Government is looking to support farmers and agri-food businesses throughout the eventual rollout and implementation period.
Farmers have already been at loggerheads with the Prime Minister since Labour came to power in July 2024.
Nick Thomas-Symonds will negotiate a youth mobility scheme with Maros Sefcovic | GETTY
An eventual U-turn on a proposed inheritance tax raid on farmland valued above £1million failed to alleviate concerns, with polling now suggesting farmers would vote for Reform UK if a general election was held today.
There have also been growing concerns that Sir Keir’s Government has kept farmers in the dark about its negotiations, with Europe Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds coming under fire in December last year after failing to attend a select committee meeting on the impact of a new SPS agreement.
Shadow Farming Minister Robbie Moore told GB News: “After eighteen months of chaos, things are to get much worse.
“Under this Labour Government, farmers have already seen the Sustainable Farming Incentive stopped, delinked payments slashed and a fertiliser tax introduced.
“They have had to fight tooth and nail to force a partial U-turn on the Chancellor’s disastrous Family Farm Tax, and now Labour are once again gambling with the very survival of Britain’s farming sector and our nation’s food security.”
Mr Moore added: “It would be a total failure of leadership to sacrifice our hard-won regulatory independence on the altar of a ‘reset’ with Brussels.
Keir Starmer greets Ursula von der Leyen at UK-EU Summit | PA
“We must protect the innovative crop protection products already safely in use here and ensure that decisions made by and for Britain’s farmers remain valid and in our interests.
“Anything less would be yet another betrayal of our rural economy and the industry as a whole – just as we thought things couldn’t get worse.”
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice also told GB News: “Labour are a serious threat to British farmers and food production. Over-taxation, over-regulation, and high energy costs are a huge burden.
“Only Reform can be trusted to reverse all these challenges.”
However, SPS negotiations come as Sir Keir prepares to move closer to dynamic alignment with the EU.
Despite ruling out a return to the single market and customs union, Brexiteers have warned the British public will have no say if the Prime Minister agrees to the UK becoming a rule-taker.
Negotiations remain ongoing about a youth mobility scheme, with GB News warning last year that such a programme could see hundreds of thousands of EU nationals flood into Britain every year.
A group of farmers used tractors to block the roads into Britain’s largest shipping port in the early hours of Friday, as part of a major new protests | FACEBOOK
Responding to the report released on behalf of CropLife UK, a Government spokesman said: “We’re focused on securing a food and drink deal that could deliver up to £5.1billion a year for the UK economy – backing British jobs and helping put more money in people’s pockets.
“SPS deal would slash red tape, cut costs and delays at the border, and lift barriers on a wider range of UK exports to the EU – supporting farmers, producers and businesses across the UK.
“Our negotiations are ongoing, and we’re working with businesses on the ground to shape our approach and make sure they’re ready to benefit as soon as any new arrangements take effect.”
CropLife UK’s Head of External Affairs Josh Woolliscroft added: “We recognise that this is a flagship trade policy for the Government and a key priority to see it delivered.
“However, we urge policymakers to take account of this independent analysis and the industry’s consistent feedback. This is simply too important a decision to rush.
“The report highlights ways in which this deal could be delivered in a way that avoids harming British growers and British consumers.”