Trade in fruit and vegetables with the United Kingdom declined sharply in the first half of the year. British import figures show that. Imports of vegetables from the EU are falling by 15%, with imports from non-EU countries increasing by 8%. With € 1.4 billion, UK vegetable trade with the EU is still much larger than with countries outside the EU (€ 605 million). The figures were shared by the European Commission with member states at a meeting of the fruit and vegetables Management Committee.

For fruit, UK imports from the EU are as high as 20% and import trade (in value terms) with non-EU countries is increasing by 2%. In fruit trade, imports from non-EU countries were already around 70% higher than EU trade. Many tropical fruits go directly to British ports after Brexit, so that EU origin is no longer recorded.

For processed fruit and vegetables (juices), imports from the EU fell by as much as 24%. This too is due to a growth in direct delivery. With more than € 1.1 billion, the EU is by far the most important supplier to the UK for this trade, although imports from non-EU countries have hardly increased (1%).

As a result, European fruit and vegetable exports are doing less well than other parts of the economy. Total UK imports from the EU increased by 1% in the first half of the year.