Press Release

© Christine Matthews (licensed under Creative Commons), source: www.geograph.org.uk

Photo: Coexphal

The UK is the third largest export market for fruit and vegetables from Almeria, after Germany and France. In 2019, companies and cooperatives from Almeria exported 290,868 tons worth €286 million. If the EU and the UK had not reached an agreement, the fruit and vegetable products would have suffered several levies of tariffs that would range between 14% in tomato or 10% in lettuce.

© USDA Public Domain

On January 1, 2021, a new US-UK equivalence agreement ensures that organic products certified to either USDA or UK standards may be labelled and sold as organic in both countries. The agreement provides continuity for US-UK exports covered by the US-EU equivalence agreement, following Brexit.

PRESS RELEASE

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Italy’s fresh produce sector is following with great interest the negotiations underway to seal a trade deal between the EU and the UK. Last week, an online conference titled “Great Britain outside the European Union: What changes for fruit and vegetable operators from 1 January 2021", organised by Cso Italy, Fruitimprese and Dcs Tramaco, over 120 people took part.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that supermarkets will face over £3 billion in tariffs if the UK leaves the EU without a trade deal and that these costs will be passed onto consumers. Both the UK and the EU stated on Friday that there is a “strong possibility” that there will be no post-Brexit trade deal between the two parties. Johnson however added that a no-deal scenario, similar to the relationship that Australia has with the EU, would still be “very good”.

Photo: Coexphal

Almeria’s Association of Organizations of Fruit and Vegetable Producers COEXPHAL held a webinar last week titled ‘Brexit: practical aspects for exporters' in which it addressed the post-Brexit scenario facing producers and marketers of fruit and vegetables.

UK retailer Morrisons has given a stark warning to the country’s government and consumers to expect higher food bills if no trade deal is signed between the UK and the EU.