Since Brexit, United Kingdom's Agricultural Trade With European Union Remains Strong; Opportunities for U.S. Export Emerge

The United Kingdom (U.K.) is the fifth largest importer by value of agricultural products in the world. Comprising England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, the U.K. has a limited capacity to produce agricultural and related products, relying on imports to meet the demands of its population. Agricultural production contributes less than 1 percent of the total value of the U.K. economy. In 2022, the U.K. imported $92.1 billion in agricultural and related goods and exported $34.8 billion, less than half the value of imports. Most of the goods imported by the U.K. are high-value consumer products, with distilled spirits, dairy products, and processed foods including seafood among the largest groups. Climate change has fostered demand for a new generation of agricultural-related products, such as wood pellets to replace coal, for which the United States has emerged as a major supplier.