EFRA Committee launches calls for evidence on fisheries and the UK-EU SPS agreement

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has today launched two calls for evidence, in response to announcements made on 19 May, when leaders from the UK and EU met in London for the first formal bilateral meeting since the UK's departure from the EU. 

In the meeting on 19 May, both parties agreed to work towards a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, intended to reduce barriers to the trade of food and agricultural products between the UK and the EU. The EFRA Committee is inviting written evidence submissions, until 5 September, on the proposed SPS Agreement, including how it should be negotiated, implemented, and integrated into the UK's wider food, farming, and environmental goals. 

MPs will also examine how an SPS agreement might affect the UK's internal market, considering regulatory divergence across the devolved nations. 

The 19 May meeting also saw the UK Government announce the creation of a £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, alongside a UK-EU agreement to extend current ‘fully reciprocal' fisheries access arrangements until 30 June 2038. EFRA is inviting submissions on how the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund should be designed and delivered to best meet the needs of the sector and communities and how the UK can provide comprehensive and coherent support for its domestic fishing sector and fishing communities beyond this Fund. 

Full details of two calls for evidence launched today can be found below and submissions can be made on the Committee's website, until 23:59 on Friday 5 September 2025. 

Inquiry: Fisheries and the marine environment  -  call for evidence

The EFRA Committee invites written submissions to any or all of the below questions: 

1. What should be the key priorities for the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to ensure it delivers meaningful impact across both the fishing industry and communities? 
2. How should the Fund be structured and delivered to reflect the diversity and needs of fishing communities across the UK, including inshore fleets and more isolated areas?  
3. What role should the devolved administrations play in the design and delivery of the Fund 
4. What lessons can be learned from previous funding schemes, such as the UK Seafood Fund, to improve the effectiveness and accessibility of the new Fund? How can the new Fund work to complement and not duplicate currently available schemes?  
5. What additional measures, beyond the Fund, are needed to support the long-term viability and resilience of fishing communities? 
6. How can the UK ensure a skilled and future-ready workforce in the fishing and seafood sectors, including through training, apprenticeships, career development and visa policies? 
7. What has been the impact of recent policy developments —such as the proposed ban on bottom trawling in more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the roll-out of Fisheries Management Plans and the extended EU-UK reciprocal access arrangements — on fishing communities? 

Inquiry: Animal and plant health –  call for evidence

The EFRA Committee invites written submissions to any or all of the below questions: 

1. What is a realistic timeline for the negotiation and implementation of an SPS agreement?  
2. What opportunities and risks are posed by the introduction of dynamic regulatory alignment with the EU?  
3. How should traders, producers, businesses and policy makers prepare in sectors where regulatory divergence already exists or may emerge, such as in precision breeding, animal welfare and crop protection? 
4. How should the UK Government engage with industry stakeholders and devolved administrations to ensure the agreement aligns with wider agri-food and environmental goals?  
5. What could the implications of an SPS agreement for trade and border controls be, including border infrastructure, resources, biosecurity, trade friction, growth and the treatment of imports from non-EU countries?  
6. How might an SPS agreement affect the UK's internal market, particularly considering regulatory divergence across the devolved nations?  
7. What impact could the proposed SPS agreement have on upcoming Defra agri-food and environmental strategies, such as the Land Use Framework, Food Strategy, Farming Roadmap, and efforts to improve farming profitability and sustainable growth? 

The Chair of the EFRA Committee, Alistair Carmichael MP, said: 

“The UK-EU negotiations towards an SPS agreement present an important opportunity for the Government to resolve difficulties which are currently hampering trade with the EU, while also protecting British food producers and maintaining British standards and decisions in food production. The Government must ensure that it negotiates on the basis of the fullest understanding and knowledge of the situation and needs of our farmers, horticulturalists, food manufacturers and traders. To inform our committee's scrutiny of this area, we have today launched a call of evidence for views on the proposed SPS agreement, including how it should be negotiated, implemented, and integrated. 

“The Government has also announced the establishment of a fund to support the British fishing industry. This has great potential to address serious issues afflicting the sector and the communities dependent on it, and to generate significant growth within the industry. At present, there is a great deal of concern within fishing communities about the security of their futures. Our committee is keen to see this fund used to the very best effect and to this end we are inviting written evidence from stakeholders including industry representatives, fishers, community leaders, devolved administrations, academics, and members of the public.”