European Union produce like wine, beer and spirits will remain a big focus for many UK food and drink businesses, despite the abundance of red tape applied to imports by Brexit.
Border checks and other bureaucracy layered onto businesses following Brexit aren’t enough to stop UK supply chain professionals from importing, a new report for the More than Only Food & Drink campaign claims.
The UK sectors set to step up EU food and drink imports
The majority of wholesalers, importers, producers and other professionals in the sector would continue – and also increase – imports from the EU, a European Commission survey for the report found.
Wine, dairy and cheese professionals were “100% committed” to sourcing even more lines from the EU in the year ahead.
Beer (80%), charcuterie and meat (80%), and bakery (70%) professionals remained optimistic about increasing the levels of imports they’d secure from the bloc in 2025.
Some, like confectionery and fruit & vegetable sectors, however, weren’t so sure about maintaining or boosting their imports from the continent. Both showed a 30% commitment to sourcing extra lines from the EU next year.
However, high quality (95%), pricing (81%), authenticity (78%) and sustainability (77%) were cited by respondents as the driving forces behind their choices to import particular EU stock.
UK dependent on EU imports
“These insights demonstrate that, despite the challenges and complexities of new cross-border trade agreements, the EU remains a valued partner and important resource for the UK’s food and drink industry and is likely to remain that way,” AMC Consulting founder and advisor Andrew Crumpton said.
Driving the need for food and drink imports was the UK’s need for fruits and vegetables, especially that could be grown complementary to the UK’s own growing patterns.
“When certain crops are out of season in the UK, EU producers support the offer, ensuring that UK retailers can offer a consistent, high-quality selection to consumers throughout the year,” the report said.
