UK food exports to the EU have decreased by almost a quarter (23.4%) in the last five years, compared to the five years before Brexit.

This represents a drop from 6.7 billion kilograms between 2016 and 2020 to 5.1 billion kilograms between 2021 and 2025, according to the latest data from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Exports to Germany have dropped by 59.1%, to Poland by 51.9%, and to Belgium by 39.9%.

In contrast, global food and drink exports increased by 5.8% in the first three quarters of 2025, primarily driven by a 6.2% rise in non-EU exports.

Exports to India grew by 9.6%, and to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) by 6.3%.

Non-EU imports also surged by 17.1%, with total food and drink imports reaching £49.6 billion (€58 billion) this year.

The FDF is advocating for government support to achieve its goal of growing food and drink exports by £10 billion by 2035, aiming for a total of £35 billion (€41 billion).

Key Recommendations

Key recommendations include the following:

  • engaging with businesses on EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement negotiations, to reduce trade barriers and provide sufficient transition periods;
  • developing complementary policies on areas such as packaging and labelling, and continuing support for customs procedures; and
  • creating a £2.6 million (€3.04 million) support fund for businesses, especially SMEs, to find new international customers and suppliers.

Although the FDF considers the new SPS agreement a positive step, it will not remove all trade barriers and requires support for businesses to adapt.

The federation also highlights the importance of ensuring that EU negotiations do not hinder the growth seen in non-EU markets.

Karen Betts, chief executive of the FDF, said, “At a time when food and drink businesses are facing rising production costs, regulatory pressures, and weak consumer confidence at home, easing barriers to trade and growing our exports could not be more important.”

The UK’s global food export volumes were almost 20% lower on average between 2020 and 2024 than they were between 2015 and 2019.

Comparing the UK to other major European partners, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands all saw increases in their average volumes, while France saw a decline of 5.7%.