Does the SPS Agreement Affect UK Sovereignty? A UK Food Sovereignty Poll

With a proposed UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement potentially aligning food regulations, questions are emerging about where regulatory authority ultimately sits.

A key question emerging from current discussions is: does the SPS agreement affect UK sovereignty, particularly in relation to food regulation and decision-making authority.

The SPS framework is being presented as regulatory alignment to reduce trade friction. However, alignment in this context appears to extend beyond equivalence and into the application of EU rules across UK food law, including areas that affect domestic markets.

If UK legislation must follow externally set standards, the question becomes less about alignment — and more about where regulatory authority ultimately sits.

We’re asking where people believe control should lie — and what alignment really means in practice.

1. What does “regulatory alignment” mean to you in practice?

• Following similar standards while retaining UK control
• Adopting EU rules but with UK oversight
• Accepting EU rules as the basis for UK decisions
• Unsure

2. If the UK must follow EU food regulations, who effectively controls those rules?

• The UK
• The EU
• Both equally
• Unsure

3. Do you believe the UK can remain fully sovereign if it must align with EU food laws?

• Yes
• Only partially
• No
• Unsure

4. Does this form of alignment reflect what you expected from Brexit?

• Yes – this is consistent
• Partially – depends on scope
• No – this is not what was expected
• Unsure

5. Who should ultimately decide what is safe for UK consumers?

• UK regulators (e.g. Food Standards Agency)
• UK Government
• EU authorities
• Joint UK–EU framework

6. Should UK regulators be able to approve products that the EU has not approved?

• Yes – UK should have full discretion
• Yes – with limits
• No – decisions should align with the EU
• Unsure

7. If UK decisions are constrained by EU rules, is that still independent regulation?

• Yes
• Partially
• No
• Unsure

8. Do you think SPS alignment could limit innovation in UK sectors like hemp and CBD?

• Yes – significantly
• Possibly
• No
• Unsure

9. Should major regulatory shifts like SPS alignment require greater public and industry scrutiny?

• Yes – significantly more
• Somewhat more
• No – current process is sufficient
• Unsure

10. Which approach should the UK take moving forward?

• Full regulatory independence
• Alignment with retained decision-making power
• Full alignment with the EU framework
• Unsure

Thank you for taking part in this poll. It will close at midnight on 31/03/26 and the results will be discussed in an upcoming episode of Hemp Hound TV.

For more information on The Hemp Hound Agency, email: cefyn.jones@hemphound.co.uk