British food and farming exporters secure £80m trade boost

British food and farming exporters have secured £80 million in new overseas opportunities after government trade attachés helped remove barriers in key global markets.

Defra said its global network of agri-food attachés has already resolved 20 export barriers this year, opening up new opportunities for businesses across food, farming and drink.

The breakthroughs could support farmers, processors and food manufacturers by creating new routes for British beef, dairy, poultry, seafood, genetics and speciality food exports.

The wins include genetics exports to the United States, cheese exports to Brazil and trout access in China, alongside new market access for British poultry and eggs in the UAE.

Defra also highlighted a processed animal protein opportunity in Indonesia worth £10m annually, as well as approvals for cookie dough exports to India and UK seafood access in Kuwait.

A new streamlined Chinese export registration process is also expected to save businesses £50m a year.

Farming Minister Stephen Morgan welcomed the attachés back to the UK for a week of engagement with British food and farming businesses.

The visit focused on how government can help exporters make use of new trade deals and the forthcoming EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

The SPS agreement is expected to remove barriers with the EU, which remains the UK’s largest agri-food trade market.

During the week, attachés visited Essex producers including Wilkin & Sons in Tiptree and Danbury Ridge vineyard during English Wine Week.

They also met around 100 food and drink businesses and industry associations, including meat and dairy producers, drinks makers, small businesses and speciality food exporters.

Mr Morgan said the attaché network was helping British businesses overcome trade obstacles in important global markets.

He said: “Our agri-attachés are Britain’s boots on the ground for food and farming trade.”

He said the attachés were embedded in key markets from the USA to East Asia and used local knowledge and diplomatic links to remove barriers that could otherwise take years to resolve.

Mr Morgan added: “The results speak for themselves, with £80 million in opportunities unlocked this year alone, delivering real growth for British businesses.”

He said global demand for UK food and drink was continuing to grow.

Mr Morgan added: “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.”

Balwinder Dhoot, director of sustainability and growth at the Food and Drink Federation, said the network provided valuable support for exporters.

He 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.”

Mr Dhoot said the FDF was looking forward to working more closely with the attachés to support the UK’s 12,000 food and drink manufacturers.

The engagement week follows what Defra described as a strong year for the attaché network, despite a difficult trading environment and geopolitical uncertainty.

In 2025, the network resolved 55 export barriers estimated to be worth £127m a year.

Those included securing pork access to Mexico and removing costly obstacles for dairy exports to Egypt.

Last year, two UK dairy establishments were also approved to export to Brazil, which Defra said was an important step in increasing British dairy sales in the market.

Separately, Defra said wider trade progress included a 13,000-tonne quota for British beef into the high-value US market, worth up to £70m.

New access for ovine genetics has also helped UK exports grow to more than £2.5m, according to industry estimates.

The government said the progress highlighted the role of agri-food attachés in supporting British exporters, removing market access barriers and helping more UK food and farming products reach global customers.

The challenge now will be turning new market access into lasting export growth for British food and farming businesses.