Browse Data and Analysis

While the UK exited the shadow of Brexit and COVID-19 in marketing year (MY)2021/22 and put the 40-year low wheat crop of MY2020/21 behind it, the developments in Ukraine over the past few months have brought new uncertainties to the market.

MY2022/23 is characterized by a small decrease in rapeseed production and an increase in imports of soybean meal and oil. Total United Kingdom (UK) rapeseed area in MY2022/23 is forecast to increase by 17 percent with an anticipated yield of 3Mt per hectare, slightly below the Defra five-year average of 3.3Mt per hectare.

Food and drink production is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. UK consumers demand products containing a wide range of ingredients, some of which cannot be sourced entirely in the UK.

The 2021 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world.

As the 14th largest export destination, the United Kingdom (UK) has been an important and growing market for U.S. agricultural products. Shared heritage and cultural ties have continued to bolster U.S.-UK trade. The United States is the second largest UK agricultural supplier, behind the European Union (EU). The market presents many opportunities for intermediate and consumer-oriented products.

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, U.S. export health certificates are now required to either follow the Great Britain model (for destinations within England, Scotland, or Wales) or the European Union health certificate model if shipping to Northern Ireland.

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU), Great Britain (GB) is now outside of the EU single market and customs union, while Northern Ireland (NI) remains within the EU single market and customs union.

UK demand for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives has boomed in recent years, doubling in value from 2016 to 2020 to around $1.6 billion at retail. Plant-based foods tend to sell strongest among young and urban consumers who believe eating less meat is healthier and more sustainable for the environment.

The United Kingdom (UK) is currently experiencing a significant outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Having entered the UK via the wild migratory bird population in October 2021, it has now spread to commercial poultry flocks.

From January 1, 2021, the UK has been responsible for authorizing products of genetic engineering (GE) using retained EU law. Nine GE crops are currently out for public consultation as part of the new UK approval process, with a similar number still pending.

UK inflation is at a ten-year high with household gas and electric bills increasing 28.1 and 18.8 percent over the past year, respectively. Retail food prices reached a 14-month high with annual grocery price inflation reaching 2.1 percent.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) opened a public comment period for 28 proposed geographical indications (GIs) for food products from the United Kingdom.