However, an Aston University study estimated that UK agrifood exports<\/a> to the EU could be boosted by more than 20 per cent as a result of a high-alignment veterinary agreement.<\/p>\n UK producers and retailers that continued to export to the EU complained that conforming to the post-Brexit rules added thousands of pounds in costs to each load they shipped.<\/p>\n Supermarkets hope that a deal can be completed early next year, according to one retail executive, allowing them to shut down post-Brexit trade compliance departments that cost millions of pounds a year. <\/p>\n The UK will need to align with the EU\u2019s rules on animal and plant health, prompting opposition parties to accuse Starmer\u2019s Labour government of once again making the UK a \u201crule taker\u201d from Brussels.<\/p>\n But Peter Hardwick, trade policy adviser at the British Meat Processors Association, said this was a \u201ccommon misunderstanding\u201d because the UK already has to abide by EU standards to export to the bloc.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The chief concession has seen the UK extend EU fishing access to British waters for 12 years, a decision the Scottish Fishermen\u2019s Federation labelled as \u201cdisastrous\u201d.<\/p>\n The deal cements the existing agreement, which has seen EU catches in UK waters drop a quarter in five years. <\/p>\n UK negotiators initially offered access for only four years, but agreed to 12 years after late-night talks to win the larger economic prize of the veterinary agreement.<\/p>\n UK food and drink exports to the EU were \u00a314bn in 2024. In contrast, fishing accounted for just 0.04 per cent of economic output. The UK is even a net importer of fish, its fleet having almost halved over the past 30 years. <\/p>\n Starmer argued that the concession was worth it to secure the vet deal that would allow UK salmon and shellfish producers to export more easily to the EU.\u00a0<\/p>\n The UK exported around \u00a31.2bn in fish and shellfish to the EU in 2023, according<\/a> to UK government statistics \u2014 a figure that industry body Salmon Scotland said would be boosted by the deal. <\/p>\n Relinking to the EU energy market\u00a0<\/p>\n In a concession to London, Brussels committed to work towards reintegrating the UK into the EU\u2019s<\/a> internal energy market, enabling the smooth trading of electricity between member states.<\/p>\n Requiring separate power auctions after Brexit has cost the UK about \u00a3400mn. Having a single internal market would cut costs and boost the investment case for renewable energy projects in the North Sea. <\/p>\n Consultancy Baringa estimated that total savings for consumers from an integrated market could reach \u20ac44bn a year. <\/p>\n In a surprise to the industry, the two sides agreed to work out \u201cin detail the necessary parameters\u201d for the UK to rejoin. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a real coup,\u201d said Adam Berman, deputy director of the industry lobby group Energy UK, that would give an \u201cimmediate sense that the UK and EU are willing to take barriers away from [renewable energy] projects\u201d.<\/p>\n There are also talks on linking the UK and EU\u2019s emissions trading systems, though it is unclear whether these will be completed in time for the UK to avoid a new carbon border tax called CBAM that comes into force next January. <\/p>\n Security and defence partnership\u00a0<\/p>\n A new security and defence partnership \u2014 which was not part of the original post-Brexit deal \u2014 is another step forward in rebuilding the EU-UK relationship.<\/p>\n The wide-ranging deal is similar to those the EU has signed with six other countries including Japan, South Korea, and North Macedonia, and opens the door to restoring the institutional co-operation that was ruptured by Brexit.<\/p>\n The UK foreign secretary and EU high representative for foreign affairs will have twice-yearly meetings and regular invites to top-level EU meetings, including quarterly European Council summits.<\/p>\n The document sets out a long list of aspirations for the relationship, including dialogue on cyber security. The pact also opens the door for the UK to negotiate participation in the EU\u2019s \u20ac150bn loans-for-arms fund<\/a>, which would be a win for UK defence industries that create \u00a310bn in annual exports, according to lobby group ADS.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the terms of the deal are still to be determined, leading ADS chief executive Kevin Craven to describe the pact as \u201csomewhat underwhelming in the lack of detail\u201d.<\/p>\n But Lord Peter Ricketts, former UK national security adviser, said there was significant value to restoring institutional ties with the EU. \u201cWe have lost countless opportunities to influence their thinking and planning on issues which matter to us. The host of new dialogues agreed today will give us back a role in decision shaping.\u201d<\/p>\n Youth and professional mobility <\/p>\n<\/a>Concessions on fishing<\/p>\n