{"id":689349,"date":"2025-05-29T12:56:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T12:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.capgemini.com\/gb-en\/?p=689349"},"modified":"2026-01-22T07:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T07:45:08","slug":"harnessing-technology-to-unblock-challenges-uk-eu-veterinary-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.capgemini.com\/gb-en\/insights\/expert-perspectives\/harnessing-technology-to-unblock-challenges-uk-eu-veterinary-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Harnessing technology to unblock the challenges of implementing a UK-EU Veterinary Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Harnessing technology to unblock the challenges of implementing a UK-EU Veterinary Agreement<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/div>
Debadutt Goswami<\/h5>
May 29, 2025<\/h5><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/header>\n\n\n\n
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In June last year, the Labour Party pledged in its manifesto to \u201cnegotiate a veterinary agreement to prevent unnecessary border checks<\/a>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week\u2019s UK-EU deal builds on that promise, stating that \u201cthe vast majority of routine border checks on animal and plant shipments to and from the EU will be dropped\u201d<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed agreement is part of a broader strategy to \u2018reset\u2019 the UK\u2019s relationship with the EU, aiming for closer alignment than the previous government’s approach. This strategy seeks to drive economic growth, partly through increased trade exports, while ensuring the biosecurity of UK borders remains uncompromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to The State of the Border 2024<\/a> report, UK businesses have adapted more significantly to the post-Brexit trading environment than their French and German counterparts, likely due to more acute needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opportunity is substantial: in 2023, 60% of the UK\u2019s total food, feed and drink exports went to the EU, totalling \u00a314 billion. Research from Aston Business School<\/a> suggests a veterinary agreement could boost these exports by 22.5%, and imports by 5.6%. The UK government estimates the SPS deal combined with Emissions Trading Systems linking measures alone could contribute up to \u00a39 billion to the UK economy<\/a> by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthening Trade Ties: The Role of a Veterinary Agreement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To understand the significance of a veterinary agreement in the UK\u2019s evolving trade relationship with the EU, it is helpful to briefly recap the context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Brexit, the UK was included in the single market and customs union, ensuring the free movement of goods and services in exchange for full alignment with EU trade regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, UK-EU trade relations are governed by the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA), which includes the Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland. The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) outlines how increased Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks apply to imports, including identity and physical checks for all live animals entering Great Britain from the EU starting in late 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the physical check rates<\/a> for products entering the EU from the UK are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n