United Kingdom says cheerio to VI-1 certificate

Australian Grape & Wine (AGW) has welcomed the recent announcement from the UK government that they will remove VI-1 certification for all wine imports from 1 January next year.

The announcement came after a domestic consultation process was initiated in September to consider changes to UK wine legislation to remove the burdensome and costly requirement.

“This was an important issue raised in the context of the Free Trade Agreement negotiations with the UK and demonstrates how technical issues can be resolved through strong partnerships,” said chief executive of AGW Tony Battaglene.

“This is a very welcomed announcement, and we congratulate the UK Government on its forward thinking and efforts to promote the wine trade into the future.

“The UK has been one of Australia’s most important markets, representing one of the largest export destinations for Australian wine for decades.

“This long-standing trade relationship has thrived for many years and is now more important than ever for the Australian wine sector as it recovers from the challenges of 2020,” continued Battaglene.

“We look forward to strengthening our relationships with the UK wine industry and Government to streamline and grow trade with the UK into the future.”

The UK is a major global importer of wine, importing just under 1.5 billion litres of wine, valued at over USD $4 billion in 2020.

It is also Australia’s largest wine export market by volume, second largest by value and one that is continuing to grow, up 16 per cent in volume and 23% in value during the 2020-21 financial year.

 

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