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”);} //]]> The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has highlighted the “excellent collaboration” between the Governments of Spain and the United Kingdom, which has allowed this 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 Executive.

Planas met today in London with the Secretary of State for the 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 sides have opted to maintain a fluid trade and seek 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 that it entailed, since the United Kingdom became considered a third country. Spain is the main supplier of fresh products to the United Kingdom, especially fruit and vegetables, and this country is Spain’s main partner in the agri-food sector outside the European Union.

One of the issues that focused on the meeting was border controls on agri-food products. Incidents in this area can generate tensions between operators, so a quick resolution is required. Luis Planas highlighted the interest in reaching an agreement on compliance with phytosanitary standards.

The meeting discussed the upcoming implementation in the United Kingdom 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 having the greatest clarity on these changes and their implementation time.

Spain plays a strategic role in the UK’s food security, as it is its main supplier of fresh produce. Almost a quarter of the vegetables imported by Great Britain come from Spain, and in the case of products such as lettuce, this figure reaches 80%.

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

The meeting also discussed issues such as rural development, generational change, innovation and digitalisation of agricultural holdings and the veterinary collaboration agreement currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United Kingdom. In terms of fishing, Planas and Reed exchanged points of view on the situation of the fishing grounds in British waters where the Spanish fleet operates and the implications of the declarations of marine protected areas.

Prior to this meeting, the Minister held a meeting with a group of restaurateurs and importers from the United Kingdom.

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