By Alix Culbertson, political reporter

The UK government is planning to align with the EU on some food and farming laws – including the definition of “organic” and pesticide regulations.

The government has announced it is aligning with the EU on much of its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) legislation to “cut red tape and costs for importing and exporting”.

This means the UK will have the same laws as the EU on nutrition labelling, the definition of “organic”, pesticide and biocide regulation, food supplements, nutrition and health claims, food and feed safety, fortified food and agri-food marketing standards.

It would cover rules within the UK, as well as for products traded with the EU.

Defra (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) officials have been negotiating with the EU since November in the hope of smoothing out some of the more complex and bureaucratic elements of the post-Brexit trading system.

For example, UK farming exports to the EU have reduced by 34% since the UK’s official split from the EU in January 2020 because of this unalignment.

UK has diverged from EU rules since Brexit

They are negotiating hundreds of regulations.

But Defra said it has come to an agreement on many, and businesses and farmers will now have six weeks to comment on whether this will be good or not for the UK – so things could still change.

While the UK was originally aligned with the EU, since Brexit they have diverged in some areas of SPS. For example, the EU has banned the use of 14 pesticides since Brexit, but 10 of those are still allowed in the UK.

Farmers call for transition period

Farmers have cautiously welcomed the news – although they are aware some of the agreements could still change.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is calling for transition periods for some areas, including rules on organic practices, plant protection (pesticides/herbicides) and biocidal products.

They have said if some products and practices suddenly become illegal that could seriously harm businesses as farmers have to plan – and plant – well in advance.

Another major issue is the development of a bovine TB vaccination, which is currently banned in the EU, but UK farmers say could help protect their herds.

Gene editing concerns

Precision breeding and anti-microbial resistance technology (gene editing) is another concern, the NFU has said. It is currently not allowed in the EU, but the NFU says it could help UK food production be more sustainable and resilient. Some British farmers are concerned about the effect it could have on biodiversity and on wild plants, such as weeds.

The government is aiming for the final agreement to take effect in mid-2027, and is considering transitional arrangements for some sectors.

But that means a final agreement would have to be signed around June 2026 for legislation to have the time to go through parliament.

A Defra statement said: “The EU has accepted there will need to be areas where the UK will retain its own rules, as set out in the May 2025 Common Understanding. Details of these are subject to negotiation. 

“We have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies.”