European officials have conceded that the UK can keep its ban on live animal exports as part of any joint deal on food and agricultural products, removing one of the sharper points of friction in Brexit talks now being pushed by Keir Starmer’s government. The ban, imposed by Rishi Sunak’s government in 2024, would only apply to UK farmers, and British officials say they are confident it will not derail the wider agreement.
One British official said: “We’re confident on this and don’t think it’s going to be an issue but of course negotiations are ongoing.” A government spokesperson said the talks could deliver a deal worth up to £5.1bn for the British economy and that the EU had accepted Britain would need to keep some of its own rules.
The agricultural package is one of three key elements Starmer wants announced at a summit this summer, alongside arrangements on emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme. The main hold-up in the talks is not livestock rules but a standoff over whether European students should pay the same university tuition fees under that mobility plan. On Monday, Starmer said, “The last government was defined by breaking our relationship with Europe; this Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe.”
The live export issue matters because the EU is the world’s largest live farm animal exporter and campaigners have long opposed the practice. Last May, both sides signed a framework agreement that allowed the UK to be exempted from EU regulations where British rules are stricter, but lawyers and animal welfare experts said that without a specific carve-out, the UK would have to scrap its ban altogether. The government says it is seeking the best outcome, but the shape of the final compromise will show how far Brexit-era red lines can be bent without being erased.
