Trade – British SME

Pen-and-ink illustration of a small UK exporter reviewing trade documents for Costa Rica, with a small tucked-away Union Jack as the only coloured element

Costa Rica joins CPTPP: what UK small exporters should watch next

by Alistair Cowen-Page
7 May 2026

Costa Rica has been granted accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, opening another market inside the trade bloc that the UK joined in late 2024. For small UK exporters, the announcement…

Pen-and-ink illustration of a UK small food business owner reviewing import and export paperwork, with a small tucked-away Union Jack as the only coloured element

UK-EU food rules deal: what small importers and exporters should prepare for now

by Alistair Cowen-Page
5 May 2026

Small food, drink, farming, wholesale and logistics businesses have been told to start preparing for a planned UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that could reduce paperwork and border friction from mid-2027. The government says the…