Minister for Exports Mike Freer has met with the NFU to discuss ways to help boost British dairy exports around the world.
The visit took place at specialist Stilton makers, Long Clawson Dairy in Leicestershire, where they met managing director Bill Mathieson on a tour of the factory.
Mr Freer, along with NFU President Minette Batters, saw the site's multi-million-pound expansion, which went ahead in 2018 to drive global sales.
Long Clawson Dairy now exports its award-winning cheeses to Europe, the US and Australia.
Mrs Batters told the government minister the sector had "ambitious plans to export more nutritious and great tasting British dairy products around the world".
It follows the release of the NFU Dairy Export Strategy, with key asks including a new taskforce to improve and increase UK dairy exports.
Government investment, in partnership with the industry, must drive dairy exports through trade deals, agriculture counsellors, and market development, it says.
The strategy also calls for more investment in domestic dairy processing capacity to take advantage of new markets.
“Today’s meeting with the minister gave us the opportunity to showcase the fantastic work that farmers and producers are already doing to export high quality dairy products around the globe," Mrs Batters said.
“Long Clawson Dairy is a prime example of how the British dairy industry is ambitious; producing a range of top-quality nutritious and sustainable products to world-leading standards like its award-winning Stilton that’s sold across Europe, the US and Australia."
Although the industry already exports over £1.6bn worth of dairy to more than 135 countries, the sector is looking to double that value within the next decade.
The government has recently invested to boost on-going market development work and it has increased the number of agriculture counsellors around the world.
"We can massively boost our dairy exports and help set the global standard when it comes to sustainable climate-friendly food," Mrs Batters said.
Mr Freer added: “The work that farmers do across the UK and here in the East Midlands is hugely important for the economy and a sector we should be proud to shout about overseas.
“Our newly-created Export Strategy and Export Support Service will help businesses across the region to kickstart and expand their exporting ambitions at a time when global interest in British produce is increasing.”
