The Horticultural Trades Association, representing the UK's £38 billion horticulture industry, is making a final, urgent appeal for a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement to be negotiated that explicitly includes plant health. This crucial call comes just days before a key UK-EU Leaders' Summit in London on Monday, 19 May and at the start of the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show week. The HTA met with Minister Zeichner and DEFRA officials this week to discuss ambitions and opportunities for such an agreement.

For months and years, the HTA has consistently led calls for the UK and EU to negotiate a comprehensive SPS agreement that specifically includes provisions for plant health. The HTA continues to highlight the significant strain on its members caused by the disruption of cross-border plant trade since the UK's departure from the EU, leading to substantial costs, reduced consumer choice, and hardship for businesses navigating complex new processes in already challenging economic times.

The HTA has been at the forefront of advocating for immediate trade easements, providing essential advice and guidance to members facing border challenges, collaborating closely with EU sister associations, and consistently championing the vital need for an SPS agreement that encompasses not just veterinary matters but specifically plant health.

Commenting on the critical timing and the clear opportunity, Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the HTA, said:

“With the EU and UK leaders’ Summit here in London on Monday 19 May, at the start of Chelsea Flower Show week, there could not be a better time to make the HTA’s calls for an SPS agreement a reality and to stop border friction, reduce costs and boost competitiveness for UK horticulture. Growers, retailers, landscapers and suppliers would welcome the certainty and confidence this could bring.

"This would benefit not just us but also our European colleagues, and we welcome the calls we have seen this week from Union Fleur and the European Nurserystock Association, calling for a reset in relations that boosts the trade in plants and flowers. Let us spend time blooming, not bogged down in bureaucracy.”

An effective SPS agreement including plant health would streamline processes, reduce inspection burdens, and lower costs associated with importing and exporting plants and related products between the UK and the EU, providing a significant boost to the entire horticultural supply chain on both sides.

The HTA urges leaders at the upcoming Summit to recognise the immense cultural and economic value of the horticulture sector and seize this timely opportunity to initiate negotiations on a plant-inclusive SPS agreement.