Trump Announces Win for Beef and Ethanol Trade With UK

On Thursday, President Donald Trump and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a historic trade deal, providing American companies unprecedented access to the UK markets while bolstering U.S. national security.

“The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers,” Trump explains.

With the agreement, the UK will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminate against American products.

This trade deal will significantly expand U.S. market access in the UK, creating a $5 billion opportunity for new exports for U.S. farmers, ranchers and producers. This includes more than $700 million in ethanol exports and $250 million in other agricultural products, such as beef.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was at the press conference and shared how important the deal is and what it means to American farmers and ranchers.

“This is going to exponentially increase our beef exports,” she says. “And to be very clear, American beef is the safest, the best quality, and the crown jewel of American agriculture for the world.”

According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), last year the U.S. exported a little under 2,000 mt of beef to the UK (1,970 mt, to be exact), valued at about $32 million.

“Since Brexit, U.S. beef has not had any duty-free access to the UK,” explains Joe Schuele, USMEF senior vice president of communications. “All U.S. beef exported to the U.K. is currently subject to a 12% tariff, plus an additional duty of about 2.5 British pounds per kilogram.”

USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom says USMEF is excited about the potential due to the agreement.

“From a tariff standpoint, the fact that they would be creating a zero-duty country specific spot for U.S. beef in the UK, this is definitely encouraging,” he says. “That being said, there’s still work to be done from our viewpoint, because there’s quite a few issues around non-tariff trade barriers that concern us into the EU and to the UK around market access and restrictions approvals.”

These include hormone usage, residues and restrictions around beef carcass acid rinses.

“So while we’re optimistic, we hope that these other non-tariff issues are taken into account as well,” Halstrom says.

When Trump was asked by a British reporter if he expects the UK to accept all American beef and chicken products, Trump responded with reference to the work being lead by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Bobby Kennedy is doing a tremendous job,” Trump explains. “He’s heading toward your system with no chemical, no this, no that.”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released its support of Trump’s agreement and the market access it provides beef.

“With this trade deal, President Trump has delivered a tremendous win for American family farmers and ranchers,” says NCBA President Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattleman. “For years, American cattle producers have seen the United Kingdom as an ideal partner for trade. Between our countries’ shared history, culture and their desire for high-quality American beef, securing a trade agreement is a natural step forward. Thank you President Trump for fighting for American cattle producers.”

In a release, NCBA says it has spent years advocating for expanded trade with the UK. When the UK left the European Union in 2020, that opened the door to secure trade agreements with countries like the U.S. British and American cattle producers share similar values, and British consumers also enjoy American beef.

NCBA members have participated in several meetings both domestically and abroad with senior British government officials to educate them on our production practices and the unique attributes of our product. NCBA also recently met with current British Ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Zero Ethanol Tariff

During the announcement, Trump officials indicated that tariffs on U.S. ethanol will be reduced to zero. According to the White House fact sheet, this covers $700 million worth of U.S. ethanol exports.

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) praised the trade agreement.

“This is great news,” says Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We applaud President Trump and his administration for brokering this deal, and we encourage them to continue to include corn, corn ethanol and corn co-products in future bilateral agreements with other countries.”

NCGA had previously asked the Trump administration for increased ethanol access in the United Kingdom. The country is currently the second largest destination for U.S. ethanol exports, taking in 244 million gallons, which is 12.7% of the total U.S. ethanol exports for 2024. Ethanol exports to the UK have steadily increased since 2021.

“I think it’s a positive,” adds Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist for StoneX Group. “Britain is not a big agricultural importer from the U.S. But what I think is significant is agriculture is included in it. And so there are some products that will benefit, but it starts the momentum going. And I look for other trade deals that come to also have agriculture. So I think that tells us more about where the Trump administration sees agriculture as playing a critical role.”

Optimistic About Possibilities for Pork

Halstrom says USMEF is excited about the potential for pork into the UK as well.

“They’re a large user of pork in the UK,” he explains. “They have large exports currently from the EU into the UK, and we know that there’s legitimate demand for U.S. pork into the UK as well as the EU.’

He admits pork has some of the same complicating factors regarding restrictions on the technical side.

“While no details are published on pork, yet, we’re hopeful pork is not only part of the agreement but the non-tarriff issues would be addressed as well,” he says.

Other Wins With U.S.-UK Trade Agreement

Other key points to the agreement, include:

• It commits the countries to work together to enhance industrial and agricultural market access.
• It closes loopholes and increases U.S. firms’ competitiveness in the UK’s procurement market.
• It ensures streamlined customs procedures for U.S. exports.
• It establishes high standard commitments in the areas of intellectual property, labor and environment.
• It maximizes the competitiveness and secures the supply chain of U.S. aerospace manufacturers through preferential access to high-quality UK aerospace components.
• It creates a secure supply chain for pharmaceutical products.

“The President’s trade strategy is working. We are working every day to increase American economic exceptionalism and that includes selling the bounty of American agriculture around the world,” says Secretary Rollins “I am traveling to the UK next week on my first foreign mission to meet with my counterparts and discuss the commitments of this deal. Our strong cultural and political ties between our countries have led to incredible economic prosperity. It is our goal to achieve even closer relations, and we are thankful for a deal that benefits both countries and gives American farmers, ranchers, foresters, and food processors better access to the UK market and the ability to compete for this business.”

Secretary Rollins will meet with senior UK government officials, visit facilities importing U.S. agricultural products, and hear from U.S. cooperators and UK importers on how the administration can best position U.S. agricultural products in the UK market.

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