Luis Planas highlights the excellent collaboration with the UK, a priority market for Spanish foodstuffs

Meeting between the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom, Steve Reed

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has highlighted the "excellent collaboration" between the Governments of Spain and the United Kingdom, which has enabled the country to remain one of the main markets for Spanish agri-food products after Brexit, and has stressed that this coordination will be strengthened with the new British government.

Planas met today in London with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, who has just completed two months in office, and with whom he discussed various aspects of this collaboration.

Both have committed themselves to maintaining fluid trade and seeking new avenues and collaboration agreements to strengthen it. Planas has made a very positive assessment of the evolution of trade relations after Brexit and the initial difficulties it entailed, since the United Kingdom was considered a third country. Spain is the main supplier of fresh produce to the UK, especially fruit and vegetables, and the UK is Spain's main agri-food partner outside the European Union.

One of the issues at the centre of the meeting was border controls on agri-food products. Incidents in this area can lead to tensions between operators and need to be resolved quickly. Luis Planas highlighted the interest in reaching an agreement on compliance with phytosanitary standards.

The meeting discussed the forthcoming implementation in the UK of the "Border Target Operating Model", a new customs model using technological platforms that will establish different categories of controls. The Spanish agri-food sector welcomes the implementation of a standardised system and Minister Planas stressed the importance of both operators and administrations being as clear as possible about these changes and their implementation time.

Spain plays a strategic role for the UK's food security, as it is the UK's main supplier of fresh produce. Almost a quarter of the vegetables imported by the United Kingdom come from Spain and in the case of products such as lettuce, this figure rises to 80%.

The United Kingdom is the fifth largest destination for Spanish agri-food exports and the largest non-EU country. In 2023, these exports totalled 4.82 billion euros, with a positive balance for Spain of 3.848 billion euros. The main exported products are vegetables (1.278 billion euros), fresh fruit (875 million euros) and wine (312 million euros).

The meeting also addressed issues such as rural development, generational change, innovation and digitalisation of farms and the veterinary collaboration agreement currently under negotiation between the European Union and the United Kingdom. On fisheries, Planas and Reed exchanged points of view on the situation of the fishing grounds in British waters where the Spanish fleet fishes and the implications of the declarations of marine protected areas.

Prior to this meeting, the minister held a meeting with a group of UK restaurateurs and importers.

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