Trade agreements have boosted EU agricultural exports and jobs, according to an independent study carried out for the European Commission.
Trade agreements have helped to boost EU agricultural exports and have supported jobs in the agri-food sector and other sectors of the economy.
The study also shows that more recent agreements such as the EU-Korea trade deal, which entered into force in 2011, have a higher positive impact than older and less comprehensive agreements like the 2000 EU-Mexico agreement.
The study shows that the agreements contributed to increased trade in both directions, with increased EU exports and increased imports of products from these three countries, giving EU consumers and business greater access to agri-food products.
The study suggests that increased imports have little impact on domestic EU production, reflecting a replacement of imports from other third countries or an increase in EU consumption.
The study shows that the agreement between the EU and Mexico added €105 million to EU agri-food exports in 2013, three years after both sides had removed agreed trade barriers.
The UK will be looking at the EU for a potential trade deal, if the country leaves the single market.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all"
British farmers have reacted positively to the EC's study, which portrays the EU's trade agreements in a positive light, paving the way for potential ease for a UK trade deal which will benefit both partners.
