Pictured: Secretary Rollins meets with U.S agriculture industry representatives, including USSA members. USDA photo by Kendall Johnson
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently visited the UK (12-14 May) as part of a program to expand markets for U.S. agricultural products. Her trip followed the announcement of a historic trade deal between the U.S. and the UK, the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), aimed at lowering tariffs, removing trade barriers, increasing market access and strengthening cooperation on economic security.
Secretary Rollins met with senior UK government officials, toured facilities importing U.S. agricultural products and visited a major food retailer. She also hosted a roundtable with U.S. agriculture industry representatives, including several USSA members, to discuss how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can support agricultural exports to the UK through trade promotion programs.
Commenting on the significance of her visit, Secretary Rollins said, “This trade delegation to the UK has been essential to put U.S. farmers first on the world stage and expand market access for the bounty of American agriculture.”
She added, “Our farmers and ranchers produce the safest, highest quality food in the world, and I can’t wait for consumers ‘across the pond’ to get more of a taste of the beef, poultry, pork, seafood, rice, specialty crops and all the agricultural exports America has to offer.”
Agenda Highlights
Secretary Rollins’ agenda included a meeting with the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Business and Investment, Varun Chandra, at 10 Downing Street. She also discussed agricultural trade priorities for the UK market with Warren Stephens, the new U.S. Ambassador to the UK. In addition, Secretary Rollins visited Parliament where she met with the Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Rt. Hon. Steve Reed, and the Secretary of State for the Department of Business and Trade (DBT), Rt. Hon. Jonathan Reynolds.
Other highlights of her visit included:
- Meetings with the UK Department for Energy Security and other government leaders to discuss U.S. ethanol and fair market access for U.S. agricultural exports, including beef, poultry, pork, seafood, rice, specialty crops and wood pellets
- A visit to wholesaler Wanis Foods to gain insights into how the UK wholesale market uses U.S. products and taste their U.S. rice brand, Tropical Sun. This was followed by a tour of Tilda Rice Milling LTD to see Arkansas-grown U.S. rice being packed for the UK wholesale market
- A visit to the newest retail location for Whole Foods UK, where the Secretary saw signature U.S. brands on display and heard about the success of Alaskan seafood products sold in the store
Over the next four months, Secretary Rollins will continue her trade mission program with visits to Italy, Japan, Vietnam, India, Peru, and Brazil.