Farming Minister Stephen Morgan welcomes Defra’s global network of agri-food attachés to the UK for Industry Engagement Week
British food and farming businesses are set to benefit from around £80 million in new export opportunities this year after the government's global network of agri-food attachés secured a series of major market access breakthroughs for UK producers.
The attaché network has already resolved 20 trade barriers in 2026, opening new opportunities for British businesses to export products including livestock genetics to the United States, cheese to Brazil and trout to China. A streamlined export registration process agreed with China is also expected to save UK exporters around £50 million each year.
Further successes include securing market access for British poultry and eggs in the UAE, opening Indonesia to exports of processed animal protein worth an estimated £10 million annually, and gaining approval for cookie dough exports to India and seafood exports to Kuwait.
To mark Industry Engagement Week, Farming Minister Stephen Morgan welcomed Defra's agri-food attachés back to the UK for a programme of meetings with farmers, producers and exporters from across the food and drink sector.
The week provided an opportunity for businesses to discuss how government can help them take advantage of new trade opportunities, including those created by the UK's recent trade agreements and the forthcoming UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, which will reduce barriers with the UK's largest agri-food trading partner.
As part of the programme, the attachés visited Essex, touring the renowned Wilkin & Sons jam factory and fruit farm in Tiptree, alongside award-winning Danbury Ridge vineyard during English Wine Week, to meet producers and explore opportunities to grow exports of premium British food and drink.
The delegation also met around 100 food and drink businesses and industry representatives, including meat, dairy and drinks producers, SMEs and specialist exporters, to discuss how government can continue supporting export growth in international markets.
Farming Minister Stephen Morgan 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 achievements build on a strong year for the network despite ongoing global trading challenges. In 2025, agri-food attachés resolved 55 export barriers with an estimated annual value of £127 million, including securing pork access to Mexico and removing significant obstacles affecting dairy exports to Egypt.
Other recent successes include approval for two UK dairy establishments to export to Brazil, helping increase the presence of British dairy products in the growing Brazilian market.
The government's wider trade programme has also delivered significant gains for the sector. Under the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, the UK secured a 13,000-metric-tonne tariff-rate quota for British beef exports to the United States, worth up to £70 million, while new access for ovine genetics is expected to increase UK exports by more than £2.5 million, reflecting growing international demand for Britain's world-leading sheep genetics.
