British food and drink exports to EU collapse by more than a third since Brexit

A chicken-egg farm in Suffolk. Food exporters have long complained about the extra paperwork that Brexit has entailed. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Exports of British food and drink to the EU have collapsed by more than a third since Brexit with eggs, chicken and potato producers badly hit, new figures show.

Analysis by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) of HMRC data shows a sharp fall in exports in the year to July compared with the same period in 2019, with sugar dropping the most, down 70%.