According to a recent article in The Guardian, British food and drink exports to the EU may have fallen by as much as £2 bn in the first quarter of 2021, with an analysis of HMRC data by industry body the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) suggesting that this was due to structural rather than teething Brexit problems.
The HMRC data in question show that:
• Exports to the EU of dairy products are down more than 90% and exports of cheese down by two-thirds compared with 2020. Whisky fell 32%, chocolate 37% and lamb and mutton 14%.
• Exports to China were up by a quarter, driven by growth in the sale of pork, whisky and vegetable oils.
UK–US trade already gathering pace
We feel that there is considerable scope for an easing of trade barriers between the UK and US as the British government seeks to make up for lost revenue by increasing trade with countries outside the EU. Evidence of this is already in the public domain as the UK and US have agreed to suspend retaliatory tariffs on many goods including cashmere and Stilton cheese. There is also hope of a boom in whisky exports to the US after retaliatory tariffs were suspended between the two countries.
If you’d like to discuss the prospect of exporting your product/s into the UK, we’d be happy to give you our take on how things may unfold over the next few quarters. Please contact Ted Horton in the UK or Jörg Van Wershofen in Germany to talk about trade possibilities – it’s bread and butter (and drink) to us.