UK and EU should harmonise precision breeding rules, experts recommend

The UK and the EU should harmonise regulations on precision-bred plants and animals, as part of an agri-food deal to deliver “meaningful economic benefits” to Britain, a multi-party report has recommended.

The UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC), a cross-party, cross-industry expert body which advises on trade deals and policy, has recommended the UK government “pause plans for continued (English) regulatory divergence from EU precision breeding standards”, in a new report on progressing the UK-EU reset from “rhetoric into reality”, published today [May 11th].

Instead, the report advises, the UK and EU should “recognise the global nature of the issue” and “work towards a harmonised framework for regulation of precision-bred plants and animals”. 

In England, regulations on precision-breeding of plants and animals - which is defined by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as “changing the DNA of plants or animals in a precise way” with the changes equivalent to traditional plant or animal breeding methods - exist, but differ from the EU’s approach. Scotland and Wales have not introduced rules to allow the practice.

Titled, ‘The UK-EU SPS Agreement’, the report is also recommending that, in the course of agreeing a sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) deal with the EU: 

• The UK government seeks an exception - or carve-out - from the EU’s rules only on animal welfare where the UK has introduced higher standards, such as banning the transport of live animals for export, and to work with the EU to deliver improvements;

• The UK should align with the EU’s now higher standards on pesticides after appropriate transition periods for UK farmers, to secure increased agri-food trade;

• Ahead of full alignment with the EU on SPS rules, the UK government should ensure reasonable transition periods are in place to support UK industry and stakeholders;

• And in order to maximise the UK’s decision-shaping rights, and to secure the highest benefits from any new agreement and dynamic alignment, the UK’s presence in Brussels should be enhanced significantly, alongside new UK consultative bodies.

Chaired by Andrew Lewin, Labour MP for Welwyn Hatfield, the UKTBC has held roundtables and evidence sessions with key stakeholders to determine what the best SPS deal for the UK should look like - and what decisions the government should take to achieve the best path forward.

Key benefits for the UK from closer dynamic alignment and an SPS deal with the EU include: reducing trade barriers, lowering costs for businesses and easing pressure on consumers, limiting the use of harmful pesticides and tightening environmental standards.

As research by the UKTBC and polling by Best for Britain, which provides the secretariat for the UKTBC, has repeatedly found, a UK–EU SPS  agreement offers “significant benefits for food security, trade efficiency, and business confidence”, while public backing has grown. According to April 2025 YouGov polling, commissioned by Best for Britain, half (53%) of respondents backed the UK adopting the “same animal and plant health rules” as the EU. In September 2025, the same pollster found six in 10 voters (62%) supported the UK agreeing to the same food and drink rules being applied in the UK as in the EU, with only around a quarter (23%) opposing.

James Coldwell, External Affairs Manager at Best for Britain, and lead author of the report, said:

“The UK government is facing a balancing act as it negotiates an agri-food deal with the EU: decisions on precision breeding, animal welfare and pesticides will all need careful management, and for stakeholders to be consulted closely.

“Aligning with EU food and drink standards offers the UK considerable gains on trade, food security and consumer choice, and this report aims to provide a coherent path forward for the government to realise these benefits in a way which supports its broader policy objectives.”

John Clarke, former EU diplomat and trade negotiator and member of the UKTBC, said: 

“These balanced and pragmatic recommendations reflect both the widespread support among the British public for closer alignment with the EU on food and drink rules to make trading easier, and the views of a broad range of stakeholders set to be affected by regulatory changes.

“From proposing evidence-based transition periods to making the case for a stronger UK presence in Brussels that will maximise our influence on decisions, the report clearly sets out the economic benefits of this agreement for thousands of UK companies, and the best way to bring negotiations to a successful close.”

Ed Barker, Head of Policy and External Affairs, at the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AiC), said:

“Farmers and many parts of the  UK agricultural sector, with its complex supply chains, were significantly impacted  by Brexit and the years following, and a food and drink deal can improve this situation.

“It’s vital that the government engages directly with stakeholders, especially on the issue of appropriate transition periods, as this detailedUKTBC report rightly recommends.”