M&S MD welcomes EU-UK summit deal

Marks and Spencer’s managing director has welcomed the results of yesterday’s (19 May) EU-UK summit announcement, which will allow the EU to remove checks on food exports while adding £9bn to the UK economy.The agreement, ​​following a meeting between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, aimed to reset post-Brexit relations.

The new deal will reportedly ease border checks on food products, in what could potentially lower grocery prices for consumers.

In a post on the company’s site, Freudmann said: “European Politics has been dominated by big topics recently and things are moving quickly. As someone whose job it is to get fresh, quality food on shelves for 32 million customers every day, I can’t help but contrast this frenetic activity with the sloth-like speed with which food crosses the Irish Sea – it has barely moved on in the five years since the UK left the EU.  

“Of course, this might seem a small issue, but it really does have a big impact on our customers and suppliers, as well as on our food industry’s competitiveness.” 

Freudmann noted that the government is looking to secure a veterinary agreement with the EU that will reduce the “unnecessary bureaucracy involved in moving lasagne from London to Dublin”.

According to Freudmann, around 7,000 different M&S products for Irish customers require Export Health Certificates, and each certificate needs a signature from a vet, reportedly costing over £1m. 

He warned that this can lead to “very long delays, wasted food and gaps on shelves for our valued Irish customers”. 

In his post, he said the company “wholeheartedly supports the government’s plan to negotiate a Veterinary Agreement; the benefits would be significant, there is no discernible downside, and we will offer whatever help we can to aid the negotiations”.

He added: “Five years on, it is time to put an end to the Brexit bureaucracy that burdens both UK and Irish businesses. My ask of the government is to move with pace of action, not just words – at a time when the UK’s food businesses and farmers need all the help they can get.”

In a post on LinkedIn, Freudmann wrote: “Today’s announcement on trade from the EU-UK Summit is a major step forward. An SPS agreement with the EU removes the pointless bureaucracy we face in moving our products across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and ensures that we can supply the widest range of products at the best possible price to all of our customers. We’re really pleased to see this sort of pragmatic and positive move from the government.”