Britain suspends planned border checks on animal imports under EU deal

The UK government announced on Monday that it will suspend planned new border checks on live animal imports from the EU, in anticipation of a broader trade agreement with Brussels.

These extra sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks, originally scheduled for rollout, will be delayed to ease trade while the final details of a UK-EU deal are negotiated . The move comes just ahead of implementing an accord struck in May aimed at reducing paperwork and routine checks on agri-food products between Britain and the EU.

A key part of May’s agreement was to remove “routine” border inspections on animal and plant goods once fully in force . Britain said it would likewise pause similar checks on animal and plant imports from Northern Ireland, pending the new regime. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs official said this interim step would help British farmers and food exporters avoid disruption as the SPS agreement works through final details . Importantly, the government emphasized that existing biosecurity rules remain in force under its Border Target Operating Model, so fundamental safeguards against disease will not be cut.

This decision builds on earlier measures this summer, including the June announcement that planned checks on EU fruit and vegetables had been scrapped. Critics of post-Brexit border rules say past delays have hurt trade with both the EU and Northern Ireland. For now, the UK’s Brexit minister confirmed that the SPS deal, though agreed politically, is still going through implementation steps in Brussels. Suspending the checks is seen as a preparatory move to ensure a smooth transition once the full UK-EU partnership measures take effect.