US targets more of UK agriculture for tariff cuts

The US is eyeing a multibillion-dollar slice of Britain’s pork, poultry, rice and seafood sectors, as it looks to expand its trade agreement with the UK, Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary said on Tuesday. 

Texan Brooke Rollins said these sectors were “at the front of the line” in ongoing negotiations to build on the trade deal announced last week, which gave US beef and bioethanol producers expanded access to the UK market.

Washington has touted the deal as a $5bn opportunity for American farmers, ranchers and producers, but the initial text of the agreement only covers about $950mn of trade in hormone-free US beef and ethanol. “Certainly pork and poultry are at the front of the line, along with rice and seafood,” Rollins said at a press conference in London on Tuesday, when asked about further products under discussion.

She added: “Food security is national security. The UK, for example, really relies on China and Russia for your seafood. America has extraordinary best-in-class seafood. Let’s talk about that.”

The remarks are likely to stir concern among British farmers and food producers, who have already raised alarms about potentially being undercut by cheaper US imports that may not meet UK or EU production standards.

 The UK has high tariffs on many agricultural products including up to 72 pence per kilogramme on pork, 107p on poultry, and 18 per cent on shrimp.

“We are more than happy to compete on a like-for-like basis,”  Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council told the Financial Times. “But if we allow imports that are produced to standards beneath ours, that’s unfair competition.” 

Rollins suggested some US exporters would adjust to meet British expectations, in a softening from last week when she said no industry had been “treated more unfairly than our agriculture industry”. While she defended the safety of hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken, she said beef producers may be prepared to ditch hormones in order to sell to the UK and stressed “only about 5 per cent” of US chicken is now washed with chlorine.

 American producers “are constantly watching what the markets look like, and if the markets are calling for a specific type, or they have more opportunity somewhere, then I think that we, potentially, do see some movement in the market”, Rollins added.

Griffiths countered that among US producers “it’s standard practice to clean up at the end” with chemical washes — including but not limited to chlorine. British poultry farmers have to promote hygiene throughout the whole process, and can only use water. This is much costlier, he added.

UK ministers have repeatedly insisted that chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef would remain illegal in Britain. Rollins also stressed the reciprocal benefits for UK exporters: “While, in fact, we are excited about getting American beef, ethanol [and] hopefully down the line, rice, seafood, other products are coming into your country, this is also about getting more of your country’s products into ours as well.”

 Steve Reed, UK environment, food and rural affairs secretary, said the trade deal with the US would “protect Britian’s farmers and secure our food security”. “We have always been clear that this government will protect British farmers and uphold our high animal welfare and environmental standards,” he added.

Will the UK Government give away the farm?

The last Government (and Liz Truss in particular) concluded farm trade deals with the likes of Australia which were seen to potentially disadvantage UK farmers.

However, a more serious threat has always been a trade deal with the US with its mega food and farming corporations.   Much of the focus has been on the notorious chlorinated chicken, but if it was labelled properly, UK consumers could avoid buying if they wished (although it might be more difficult to avoid in takeaways and the catered food sector more generally).

The hope of a bespoke UK trade deal with the US may be a mirage.   However, it is clear that the UK Government has been prepared to make concessions on farm trade to secure a deal.   For its part the US administration needs to offer something to its rural base which may suffer from other measures.

Admittedly, the Government has been reluctant to make concessions on what are known as sanitary and phytosanitary measures, for example it is not willing to give ground on animal welfare or food hygiene standards.  This means that hormone treated beef will not arrive in the UK.

Britain is a major exporter of salmon, chocolate and cheese to the US.  Cheddar shipments have grown from about 4,500 tonnes in 2020 to more than 6,000 tonnes last year.   These are generally price sensitive products.

However, it does seem prepared to give ground on tariffs of up to 12 per cent on US chicken, pork and beef.   That could have significant implications for the UK food industry.