BIVALVE MOLLUSCS UNDER THE EU–UK SPS AGREEMENT

Bivalve Molluscs under the EU–UK SPS Agreement: A Path Toward Smoother Trade

At the end of 2025, the Council of the European Union authorised the European Commission to open negotiations with the United Kingdom on a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement – an important step that could reshape the trading landscape for live bivalve molluscs.

In response, the Market Advisory Council (MAC) submitted detailed advice to DG MARE outlining how shellfish should be addressed within the framework. The recommendations reflect both industry priorities and the need to maintain robust public-health and environmental safeguards.

Key Recommendations for the SPS Framework

The MAC advice highlights several practical measures aimed at improving the efficiency and predictability of shellfish trade:

• Closer alignment of sanitary controls to ensure smoother cross-border movement while maintaining high health and environmental standards.
• Harmonised rules and procedures to reduce administrative burdens, particularly for small and medium-sized operators.
• Simplified Export Health Certificates alongside proportionate physical checks at Border Control Posts.
• Facilitated trade in Class B live bivalve molluscs, a segment heavily affected by post-Brexit barriers.
• Enhanced digital data-sharing and interoperability between UK and EU systems.
• Assessment of financial and operational implications to ensure workable implementation.

Pedro Reis Santos, MAC Secretary General, highlighted: “Prior to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the bivalve molluscs sector developed highly integrated supply chains. While the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement provided more predictability to operators, trade frictions remain, which can be particularly impactful for live products. The EU-UK SPS Agreement negotiations are an opportunity to facilitate trade and to strengthen the economic resilience of coastal communities, while continuing to ensure high sanitary standards”.

Benefits for Industry and Coastal Communities

A well-designed SPS framework has the potential to significantly shorten border transit times and restore a degree of predictability that operators have struggled to regain in recent years. For the EU shellfish sector and its UK counterparts, this could translate into:

• More reliable supply chains
• Reduced costs linked to delays and paperwork
• Stronger market confidence

Beyond the commercial dimension, improved trade flows would support the wider economic resilience of coastal communities that depend heavily on shellfish production and exports.

Industry Collaboration Behind the Advice

The Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) played a central role in initiating the process and contributing to discussions with the European Mollusc Producers Association (EMPA), of which it is a member.

SAGB also encouraged the EU Aquaculture Advisory Council to lend its support and worked, via the EMPA, with the EU Markets Advisory Council to formalise and submit the recommendations to the Commission.

This collaborative approach underscores a shared objective across European and UK stakeholders: rebuilding efficient trade channels for a sector that experienced significant disruption in the years following Brexit.

Looking Ahead

Stakeholders across the industry hope the Commission will take the advice fully into account during negotiations. A pragmatic SPS agreement covering bivalve molluscs could help restore an important and valuable trade flow—delivering benefits on both sides of the Channel and reinforcing the long-term sustainability of the sector.

For producers, processors, and coastal economies alike, the outcome of these negotiations may prove pivotal in shaping the next chapter of EU–UK shellfish trade.

Main Image © Seafish