Latest news with #UKFoodStandards
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Britain's farmers welcome no weakening of import standards in US-UK deal
LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - Britain's farmers union gave Thursday's U.S.-UK economic deal a mixed reception, welcoming the retention of British food standards on U.S. imports and reciprocal market access for beef, but flagging concern over a removal of tariffs on bioethanol. The deal gave UK farmers a U.S. quota for beef of 13,000 metric tonnes, which the National Farmers Union said was a positive. Under the deal, U.S. farmers will have the same quota for sales into Britain. Crucially there will be no weakening of UK food standards on U.S. beef imports, which was a red line for the union and an election manifesto pledge for the Labour government. That means U.S. beef bred with growth hormones still won't be allowed into the UK. 'We appreciate the government's efforts in listening to our concerns, particularly around maintaining high standards, protecting sensitive agricultural sectors and securing reciprocal access for beef," NFU President Tom Bradshaw said. Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, said the deal would "exponentially increase" U.S. beef exports to Britain. However, with little price differential between British produced beef and U.S. beef that does meet UK standards, the U.S. product could struggle to find a UK market. Finding favour with the UK consumer may also be a tough task. Currently 100% of the fresh beef sold by Britain's two biggest supermarket groups - Tesco (TSCO.L), opens new tab and Sainsbury's (SBRY.L), opens new tab - is British and Irish. Bradshaw also said he was concerned that the U.S. had been given full access to Britain's market for bioethanol, which is used to produce beer. "Two agricultural sectors have been singled out to shoulder the heavy burden of the removal of tariffs for other industries in the economy," he added.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Government makes assurance on hormone-treated beef as UK-US deal opens up trade
A new trade deal between the UK and US will grant tariff-free access for US beef exports, but the government insists UK food standards will not be compromised. The agreement, announced Thursday by Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, focuses heavily on agriculture. It reduces tariffs on US goods, including beef and ethanol, while also benefiting British car and steel industries. As the deal was announced, Government sources insisted imports of hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken, previously described as red lines for the UK in any agreement, would remain illegal. The agreement on beef provides a tariff-free quota for 13,000 tonnes of US exports, but the Government said there would be no drop in food standards as a result of the deal. It also includes access for British beef exports to the US. Farming leaders welcomed the Government's efforts on maintaining high standards and securing reciprocal access for beef, but raised concerns about the inclusion of bioethanol, a fuel made from crops, in the deal. National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw said: 'We find ourselves in this position as a direct result of tariffs introduced by the US administration in April. This is not something anybody wanted. 'Since then, we have worked tirelessly on behalf of British agriculture, engaging closely with the UK Government to ensure our farmers receive a fair and balanced outcome within this deal and that the public is not exposed to lower-standard produce. 'We appreciate the Government's efforts in listening to our concerns, particularly around maintaining high standards, protecting sensitive agricultural sectors and securing reciprocal access for beef.' And he said: 'For several years, we've campaigned with the UK's agricultural attaches in Washington for market access for British beef, a product globally respected for its quality and strong environmental credentials. 'These efforts have contributed to enabling the UK Government to secure ring-fenced access for British beef exports to the US.' But he warned that the inclusion of a 'significant volume' of bioethanol in the deal raised concerns for British arable farmers, and added that agriculture could not continue to shoulder the 'heavy burden' of the removal of tariffs for other industries in the economy.
