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Guidance

SPS agreement: preparing your business

Prepare your business for the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement if you trade or move plants, plant products, animals, animal products, feed and food.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published:
9 March 2026
Last updated:
30 July 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added a link to the summary of findings from the call for information, in the 'SPS agreement: preparing your business' document.

  2. Updated the guidance for the horticulture industry, to clarify that while negotiations are ongoing, growers do not need to make changes to their pesticide use. Detailed guidance and information will be provided following the completion of negotiations.

  3. Updated the guidance for 'Food production, plants, animals and associated sectors', to clarify that while negotiations are ongoing, farmers and growers do not need to make changes to their pesticide use. Detailed guidance and information will be provided following the completion of negotiations.

  4. In the ‘Food manufacturing, processing and standards’ attachment: 1. Clarified that the updates under ‘Business addresses’ are also expected to apply to feed business operator addresses. 2. Removed references to ‘feed materials’ from the section on ‘regulated food’, as they are not regulated products. In the ‘Food production, plants, animals and associated sectors’ attachment: corrected the ‘catalogue of feed materials’ link under ‘If you produce, manufacture or use animal feed’.

  5. Updated the 'Food hygiene and contaminants' section of the 'Food manufacturing, processing and standards' attachment to correct information on Listeria monocytogenes for ready-to-eat (RTE) food producers. 1. Clarified when the EU food safety criteria for Listeria monocytogenes applies. 2. Corrected the link to the FSA’s Listeria guidance. 3. Corrected the information on required changes for businesses: the change to EU legislation should not affect use-by dates on products if your business complies with existing legislation.

  6. Added sector‑specific information to support businesses in preparing for changes expected under the SPS agreement.

  7. Updated the Welsh translation to reflect that the call for information on the UK-EU SPS agreement is now closed.

  8. Updated the 'preparing for the changes' section as the call for information on the UK-EU SPS agreement is now closed.

  9. Added the Welsh translation.

  10. First published.

Documents

SPS agreement: preparing your business

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Animal breeding regulation (Zootech): preparing your business

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Border control post and control point operators: preparing your business

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Fish and shellfish: preparing your business

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Food manufacturing, processing and standards: preparing your business

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Food production, plants, animals and associated sectors: preparing your business

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Genetic technologies: preparing your business

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Horticulture industry: preparing your business

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Logistics, hauliers and trade intermediaries: preparing your business

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Organics sectors: preparing your business

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Veterinary sector: preparing your business

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Details

The government is forming a new strategic partnership with the EU on the trade and movement of plants, plant products, animals, animal products, food and feed. This is called a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

This SPS guidance will help you understand what you need to do to get your business ready.

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