British food and farming
businesses will benefit from £80 million in
new export opportunities this year, as
the government's agri-food
attachés unlocked global trade
barriers, including genetics exports to
USA, cheese exports to Brazil and trout access in
China.
So far this year, 20 barriers have already
been resolved by the attaché network,
including a new streamlined Chinese export registration
process that will save businesses £50
million annually.
Additional breakthroughs include delivering new market
access for British poultry and eggs in the UAE, a significant win
for exporting processed animal protein in Indonesia worth £10
million annually, and new approvals for cookie dough exports to
India and UK seafood access in Kuwait.
Farming Minister welcomed the agri-food
attachés back to the UK for a week of intensive engagement with
British food and farming businesses. The attachés met
producers, farmers and small businesses to discuss how
the government can help them capitalise on the UK's new trade
deals and the forthcoming EU-UK SPS Agreement, which will remove
barriers with the UK's biggest agri-food trade market.
The week saw the attachés travel to Essex, visiting the
world-famous Wilkin & Sons jam factory and fruit farm in
Tiptree and the award-winning Danbury Ridge vineyard to mark
English Wine Week, meeting passionate producers to
help boost exports of these world-renowned products from the
UK.
Alongside these visits, the attachés met around
100 food and drink businesses and industry
associations spanning the breadth of the sector from meat
and dairy producers to drinks makers, small businesses and
speciality food exporters discussing how government can best
support them in seizing the opportunities ahead.
Farming Minister said:
Our agri-attachés are Britain's boots on the ground for food
and farming trade. Embedded in key markets from the
USA to East Asia, they use their local
knowledge and diplomatic connections to cut through
barriers that would otherwise take years to resolve.
The results speak for themselves, with £80 million in
opportunities unlocked this year alone, delivering real growth
for British businesses.
As global appetite for UK food and drink continues to grow, the
attaché network will keep playing a critical
role to help British businesses build a lasting
presence in the world's most important markets.
Food and Drink Federation Director of Sustainability
& Growth Balwinder Dhoot Said:
The agri-food attaché network provides valuable in-market support
to businesses and is a key part of our goal to reach £35bn in UK
food and drink exports by 2035.
We are looking forward to working more closely with the attaches
going forward to deliver strong benefits for the UK's 12,000 food
and drink manufacturers.
The engagement week comes on the back of a strong year for the
network amid a challenging trading environment and geopolitical
uncertainty. In 2025, the attachés resolved 55 export barriers
estimated to be worth £127 million annually, from securing pork
access to Mexico to removing costly obstacles for dairy exports
to Egypt.
Last year, two UK dairy establishments were approved to export to
Brazil, an important step in boosting exports to this
growing market and seeing more British dairy on Brazilian
shelves.
Under the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, the government has
secured a 13k Mt quota for British beef into the high-value US
market, worth up to £70m. We have also seen new access for ovine
genetics grow UK exports to more than £2.5m according to industry
estimates, showcasing our world leading sheep
breeds.
