VISION 02

Keep food moving:

Trade that thrives across economic, social, and environmental dimensions

Ambitions

A level playing field for UK-EU trade:

Eliminating imbalance in trade that is both a food safety and biosecurity risk and hinders fair competition – reciprocal border controls are key to a profitable and sustainable UK food system.

Sufficient resource to support systems:

Developing processes and systems that are reliable and consistent to meet the requirements of efficient just-in-time supply chains.

Working together works:

Taking the politics out of technical discussion with a constructive and risk-based approach with the EU Commission on technical barriers with a commercial impact.

Actions

Implement UK-EU border controls to level the playing field between importers and exporters.

Prioritise a mutually beneficial veterinary agreement on SPS issues that recognises equivalence of standards.

Address ongoing shortage of Official Veterinarians in trade roles.

Employ an electronic certification system for UK-EU trade to promote efficient processing of certification required for third country trade.

Build, maintain, and enhance crucial global markets and trading relationships.

What’s Happening?

CLICK ROW TITLES TO EXPAND:

2026 - January to June

28.01.2026: Trade, Avian Influenza, and artificial intelligence in focus at IPC Annual Meeting 2026.

18.01.2026: British Poultry Council responds to news warning that a UK-EU reset on agri-food trade could create a “cliff edge” for parts of the food sector, noting that not all sectors are starting from the same place.

2025 - July to December

02.12.2025: British Poultry Council publishes annual report: Critical Food Infrastructure. Key asks on addressing planning barriers, labour shortages, and UK-EU trade to drive growth.

08.09.2025: British Poultry Council welcomes EFRA Select Committee’s report, sharing concerns over illegal meat imports and highlighting lack of clear ownership, resources, and coordination on animal disease.

08.08.2025: British Poultry Council comments on ongoing food inflation trends – where behind rising prices lie complex challenges, from trade disruption to planning barriers.

24.07.2025: British Poultry Council welcomes AI Vaccination Taskforce’s new report, but warns of its complexity.

22.07.2025: The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025-2034 has been released. Of note is that poultry consumption is set to grow by 21%, and that biosecurity stands as a critical concern.

2025 - January to June

27.06.2025: Government launches both a Trade and Industrial Strategy this week. We welcome their publication but acknowledge that co-ordination is not the same as direction. It looks like both papers are avoiding the question of where Government should lead and what it is willing to take responsibility for. We look forward to feeding in to ensure British poultry meat is recognised as a strategic national asset.

20.06.2025: ELPHA celebrates its 10-year anniversary at their General Assembly, the theme being ‘competitiveness in animal welfare, health, and sustainability.’ With negotiations on the UK-EU SPS Agreement set to begin this autumn, BPC involvement is crucial to stay informed about any proposed changes to EU legislation.

19.05.2025: BPC welcomes Government’s announcement setting out a route to a new SPS framework with the EU. We continue our calls for progress towards a deal that recognises our standards, that reflects the unique nature of UK-EU trade, and supports our long-term food security.

08.05.2025: BPC welcomes news that poultry will not be included in a UK-US trade agreement, a clear signal that Government backs our standards and the values that underpin them.

16.04.2025: As uncertainty grows around a UK-US trade deal, the British Poultry Council urges the Government to stand firm on food standards – or risk eroding decades of trust, investment, and progress.

07.04.2025: IPC’s Annual Meeting marks a historic first. With nearly 250 delegates from over 40 countries joining us in Morocco – IPC’s first conference in Africa – the event saw industry leaders and technical experts take part in debates on some of the biggest issues facing the global industry, including geopolitics, avian influenza, and WOAH’s policy direction on AMR.

01.04.2025: Mr Farage’s support for allowing the sale of American chlorine-washed chicken in the UK, arguing that clear labelling should let consumers decide, draws criticism from groups concerned about undermining British farming standards, including EFRA Committee Chair Alistair Carmichael, who accused him of “utter ignorance.” BPC position remains the same: prioritising trade concessions over the very standards that define British production is not up for discussion.

21.03.2025: Key figures advising the Government on its new food strategy have been announced, alongside the first meeting of a new Ministerial Food Strategy Group set to drive the agenda. The group is chaired by Defra Secretary of State and includes Ministers from Department for Business and Trade, Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Education and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

27.02.2025: WOAH and the FAO have officially approved and released the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza 2024–2033, under the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases.

31.01.2025: Growing media interest around use of vaccination in stamping out avian influenza. BPC position remains unchanged: that AI must not compromise business continuity, that the viability of a potential vaccine must be explored, that we continue to work with Government and APHA to ensure action on infected premises.

2024 - July to December

04.12.2024: New BPC report, From ‘Bouncing Back’ to ‘Building Forward,’ launches. Building on 2024 and Beyond, our manifesto for change, we highlight the need to bridge aspiration and action. From ‘Bouncing Back’ to ‘Building Forward’ is a call to redefine ‘resilience’ – not as merely enduring adversity but as proactively shaping solutions that create meaningful change.

08.10.2024: We and other meat sectors welcome the active engagement by the Minister on the issues surrounding biosecurity and border controls.

07.10.2024: After almost eight years of talks and negotiation, South Africa lifts its avian influenza ban, meaning trade of British poultry can resume.

18.09.2024: Close work with Defra market access team, officials and industry representatives to resume trade of British poultry with Philippines.