CropLife UK warns that the proposed realignment of UK and EU plant protection product (PPP) regulatory regimes could reduce grower choice and reduce arable farm incomes. Together with the AIC, it calls for any such move to be phased in over time, and not to apply retrospectively.
The UK and the EU are negotiating a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, following the Common Understanding Agreement (CUA) reached in May 2025. This seeks to reduce border friction by aligning UK agri-food rules with those of the EU. But CropLife UK says one unresolved issue is what happens to past PPP regulatory decisions where Great Britain and the EU have diverged since Brexit.
The PPP manufacturers trade association commissioned industry analysts The Andersons Centre to examine the impact of aligning UK PPP rules with existing EU decisions under a proposed UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement. The government has indicated that such an agreement could take effect from June 2027.
“Since leaving the EU, the GB regulatory regime has delivered innovative new chemistry faster than the EU, benefitting GB growers,” notes CropLife UK chief executive Dave Bench. “But these benefits could be thrown away if the government does not negotiate a good SPS deal.”
The UK Crop Protection Rules: The Cost of a Retrospective EU Reset report identifies four new products approved for use in Great Britain, but not in the EU. These are the fungicides Iblon and Adepidyn and the herbicides Isoflex and Luximo. There are other new actives in the GB approvals process.
There are 14 existing active ingredients products currently approved for use in GB, but which have been withdrawn from the EU – seven fungicides, including prochloraz; four herbicides including flufenacet, and three insecticides.
In addition, there are several products that have been approved for use in the EU, but with different conditions of use to those in GB – a category that includes glyphosate – and some maximum residue limits (MRLs) have also diverged.
The report argues that the cumulative loss and restriction of these products would reduce crop yields, alter cropping patterns and increase production costs. It says indicative impacts point to UK wheat production falling by between 9–16%, potatoes by 4–6% and apples by 3–7%.
In addition, there would be a wider impact on the UK agrifood chain, with the need to import more food and feedstuffs, reducing national self-sufficiency and sustainability and increasing the risk of importing from countries with lower environmental and human health standards than the UK.
Andersons identifies three possible regulatory scenarios. The worst case would be for an immediate “cliff-edge” alignment. This would see all EU pesticide decisions since Brexit overriding GB decisions instantly, with UK growers losing access to key herbicides, fungicides and insecticides overnight. The consultancy calculates that this would remove £500 million to £810m from Total Income from Farming in year one, with a 3 – 6% fall in UK farm Gross Value Added. It would cause a sharp falls in domestic food output.
The second scenario is the same “cliff edge” realignment with the EU but delayed for two years. Andersons says this would have the same outcome as an immediate alignment, but postponed for two years, allowing farmers and the wider industry some time to adapt.
The best outcome would be a managed alignment – what Andersons terms good regulatory practice. This would allow existing GB approvals to remain valid until reviewed under the new joint system. This would avoid most first-year losses, help ensure predictability for farmers and supply chains, and enable alignment would happen gradually, as science-based renewals occur.
“As our report highlights, the impact of a ‘cliff-edge scenario’ on British growers could be devastating,” comments Mr Bench. “At a time of increasing pressure on farm profitability, this could prove a tipping point for many farmers and growers. While we welcome the government’s commitment to reducing the price of food for consumers, it is difficult to see how reducing domestic crop yields could help achieve that aim.”
The AIC, representing distribution, notes the CropLife UK report and says it has shared the potential impacts of GB alignment with the EU list with Defra – highlighting how the loss of specific active substances would affect, for example, apple, wheat, and potato production in Great Britain.
“This report is a timely contribution to the ongoing discussion of eventual alignment of the GB PPP list with that of the EU,” states AIC head of crop protection Hazel Doonan. “It highlights the importance of a well-managed transition period for any future changes to PPP regulation in GB.
“With crops already in the ground – and with the long lead times inherent in crop production and crop protection planning – it is vital that Defra considers these practical realities, and the potential costs for GB, in its negotiations. Ensuring that growers and agronomists have clear visibility of any forthcoming changes will be essential to avoid shocks to PPP availability and crop production, and will enable farmers, growers and agronomists to plan, source and trial cost-effective crop protection solutions.”
The full 32 page report https://croplife.co.uk/news/2026/analysis-of-the-impact-on-uk-crop-production-of-gb-aligning-with-eu-rules-and-decisions-on-plant-protection-products can be accessed here.