Posted: 2 March 2026 | Ian Westcott | No comments yet

The first tariff-free shipment of UK beef has arrived in the US, cutting export costs and unlocking a £70 million trade opportunity for British farmers and food producers.

Premium UK beef now available in the US under the new UK-US trade deal. Credit: Shutterstock

The first tariff-free shipment of UK beef has officially arrived in the United States, marking a major milestone in transatlantic trade and opening new growth opportunities for British farmers and food producers.

Announced by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs alongside the Department for Business and Trade and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the development forms part of the UK–US Economic Prosperity Deal.

The shipment, exported by Northern Ireland-based Foyle Food Group, is valued at over £190,000 and benefits from approximately £50,000 in tariff savings. It is the first consignment to enter the US under a new reciprocal 13,000-tonne tariff-free beef quota agreed between the two countries.

Tariff-free access to the US gives UK beef producers a direct route into a 300 million-strong market while cutting export costs from day one.”

If fully utilised, the quota could be worth up to £70 million annually to the UK beef sector.

The agreement gives UK producers access to the US market of more than 300 million consumers while reducing costs and improving competitiveness for British exporters.

The milestone coincides with the UK’s first dedicated agri-food trade mission to Washington DC, led by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds.