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The UK\u2019s trading relationships have suffered significantly more than the EU\u2019s following its exit from the bloc, according to new logistics<\/a> data that showed exports<\/a> volumes slumped since the referendum.<\/p>\n Research by business group Logistics UK showed Britain\u2019s exports were down 23% from 2017 to 2024, while imports<\/a> fell by only 5%.<\/p>\n This was largely because EU checks on British goods became more onerous and expensive right after the UK left the single market in 2021, while Britain did not impose those same checks until 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cBetween 2017 and 2024, total exports to the EU fell by 23% from 106.4 million tonnes to 82.4 million tonnes, while imports from the EU declined only by 5%\u00a0\u2013 from 111.6 million to 105.5 million tonnes,\u201d said Logistics UK president Phil Roe\u00a0during a speech at the Multimodal 2025 event at the NEC in Birmingham this week.<\/p>\n \u201cUK exports were impacted since 2021, which was much earlier than EU exports, as UK import<\/a> checks were delayed until 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd while the impact on EU to GB exporters was not as significant, thanks to the waivers put in place by the UK\u2019s government<\/a>, the impact on GB exporters was felt much earlier than that felt by those on the Continent \u2013 something that may partially explain the disparity between outbound and inbound trade.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThis suggests UK exporters have faced greater frictions post-Brexit, while imports have been more resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n The pattern was repeated across containerised trade, according to Logistics UK\u2019s analysis produced in association with transport economists MDS Transmodal, with exports to the EU in TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) falling by 21% while imports from the EU dropped only 5%.<\/p>\n \u201cThe data shows that our reliance on the EU is pretty much the same as it was before EU exit but our exports to the bloc are down,\u201d Roe said.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0What does the EU-UK \u2018reset\u2019 mean for food & drink supply?<\/a><\/p>\n Logistics UK\u2019s analysis of specific commodities<\/a> showed how, since 2017, fish<\/a> exports were down 23%, dairy<\/a> and eggs<\/a> fell by 6%, meat<\/a> and \u2018meat preparations\u2019 slumped by 28%, and vegetables<\/a> and fruit<\/a> were down by 35%.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, vegetable and fruit imports had only declined by 12% and meat imports had declined by 5% since 2017, which Roe said reflected an overall \u201cimpression that since Brexit<\/a> the UK has become harder to trade with\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cTrade associations in Netherlands and France tell us that working between the EU and GB is now seen as a specialist job for drivers moving these kinds of products, because of the delays and checks they will face.\u201d<\/p>\n During his speech,\u00a0Roe also called for a \u201cswift implementation\u201d of the cuts to border checks announced as part of the UK-EU reset deal so \u201cthe UK can start to reap the benefits of smoother trade once again\u201d.<\/p>\n A forthcoming deal to reduce Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls on EU and UK goods moving across the Channel, which were introduced as a result of Brexit, is set to remove much of the red tape and costs traders currently face, while also reducing delays at the borders.<\/p>\n