“We would be buying dearer French Golden Delicious instead of cheaper Australian and New Zealand apples with more choice of varieties,” Tory peer Lord Redwood said.
Raw cane sugar could also become more expensive, with Facts4EU claiming that EU duties could translate into an overall import tax of between 56 and 72 per cent, compared with zero-rated imports under a UK tariff quota.
The report also warned that the EU introduced variable weekly tariffs on certain imported agricultural products, arguing that this could create additional uncertainty and administrative costs for British retailers.
“When the UK left the EU Customs Union, we removed tariffs completely on 2,000 products or 21 per cent of our imports, and cut them on another 4,747 or 50 per cent of foreign goods,” Lord Redwood explained.