UK fruit exports to EU have dropped by more than half since Brexit

Long delays at UK ports are dissuading many fruit farmers from sending their produce abroad. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Exports of fruit from the UK to the EU, including traditional English apples and pears, have more than halved since Brexit, according to data released by HMRC.

The decline has been put down to the introduction of trade barriers caused by the UK’s departure from the EU, including mandatory health certificates on fresh and chilled food and customs paperwork.