UK foods and drinks commerce deficit largest since 2000 at £21bn | Food & drink trade

The hole between Britain’s foods and drinks exports and imports has neared its highest this century, as a mix of Brexit, warfare within the Middle East and US tariffs dented deliveries abroad whereas imports soared.

The UK’s foods and drinks commerce deficit has risen to greater than £21bn – the biggest since 2000 – in what trade leaders mentioned was a “wake-up name” for the federal government to guard homegrown produce within the curiosity of nationwide safety.

UK foods and drinks export volumes fell by greater than a tenth (11.7%) within the first half of 2026 to 4bn kg, solely marginally above ranges on the peak of the Covid pandemic and within the aftermath of the 2001 foot-and-mouth illness outbreak, in response to evaluation by the Food & Drink Federation (FDF).

Exports to the EU continued to fall – down 0.9% in worth – amid the extra prices and complexity of buying and selling since Brexit.

The FDF recorded an excellent bigger fall in exports past the EU – down 6.9% in worth phrases. That was partly pushed by disruption in gross sales to the Middle East, with exports to the UAE down by nearly 1 / 4 on account of the US-Israel warfare on Iran. The US’s introduction of a ten% import tariff hit cross-Atlantic gross sales by 16.5%.

Food and drink imports had been 19.1bn kg within the first half of this yr, the second highest ever, solely crushed by the identical interval final yr. Imports from outdoors the EU are up greater than a fifth since 2023 as restrictions have been eased by way of commerce offers, notably with Australia which now sends 25% extra in worth phrases to the UK than a yr in the past together with meat, oils, greens and even whisky.

The suspension of tariffs on a spread of manufactured meals, together with chocolate and biscuits, this yr as a part of the previous chancellor Rachel Reeves’s bundle to ease the price of residing has additionally raised import ranges. In addition, EU meals producers elevated deliveries to the UK in worth phrases – up 0.8% year-on-year – having recovered in quantity phrases since Brexit.

Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, mentioned: “These figures needs to be a wake-up name. At a time of rising geopolitical uncertainty, we can not afford to take our meals manufacturing capability as a right.”

He mentioned the widening commerce deficit underlined the necessity for a long-term plan to assist British manufacturing and recognise “a easy reality that meals safety is nationwide safety”.

“The pressures going through farm companies are immense, from rising prices and regulatory burdens to excessive climate and international market volatility,” mentioned Bradshaw. “If authorities is severe about meals safety, financial development and nationwide resilience, it should create the situations that give companies the boldness to speculate, innovate and develop.”

The FDF, which represents lots of of meals and beverage producers, mentioned pressures on producers had been “important and rising” as the price of power, substances, transport, packaging and labour continued to rise. It mentioned altering regulation additionally added to pressures on the trade.

Karen Betts, the chief govt of the commerce physique, mentioned: “Our foods and drinks commerce deficit is rising and is now the biggest it’s been in over 25 years. In a planet beset by dispute and the ever-increasing impacts of local weather change, this poses some stark questions on our meals safety.

“When the federal government then chooses to take away tariffs on, for instance, biscuits imported from China, it’s not stunning that they’ll be bought extra cheaply right here than biscuits made within the UK.”