Saralnama
UK companies spent up to £65 million last year on licences to export food and farm products to the EU. The government issued over 328,000 licences, costing between £113 and £200 each. Labour plans to scrap these costs by making a new deal with the EU within 18 months. This deal aims to reduce checks on meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables from the EU and remove the export-licence scheme. Smaller businesses found these costs hard to manage, causing unfair competition. Some British supermarkets asked the EU to finish the deal quickly to cut red tape. Labour says the current Brexit deal hurt businesses and the economy. They also criticised Nigel Farage and Conservative leaders for wanting to keep these costs. The government wants to improve trade with the EU while protecting UK sovereignty. The new agreement is expected by 2027 and aims to help farmers and food producers by lowering export costs. (Updated 27 Aug 2025, 03:44 IST; source: link)