(Washington, DC) — The U.S. and the UK are announcing a new trade deal. President Trump made the announcement at the White House this morning. He said he feels it will be a great deal for both countries. The trade deal with the U.K. is the first to be reached since Trump unveiled his sweeping tariff plan. Trump said the U.S. is working on trade deals with other countries.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about the deal over the phone in the Oval Office. CNN is reporting that Starmer cautioned that there’s still fine print that isn’t finalized saying “we can finish ironing out some of the details.” President Trump added that “the final details are being written up in the coming weeks.”
President Trump did indicate during the press conference that the deal includes “billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all products produced by our great farmers.”
According to a White House Fact Sheet, the trade deal will significantly expand U.S. market access in the UK, creating a $5 billion opportunity for new exports for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers. It includes more than $700 million in ethanol exports and $250 million in other agricultural products, like beef. The deal also commits the countries to work together to enhance industrial and agricultural market access.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox Business on Thursday that “It can’t be understated… how important this deal is and what this means to American farmers and ranchers Specific to the beef, this is going to exponentially increase our beef exports. And to be very clear, American beef is the safest, the best quality and the crown jewel of American agriculture for the world.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for President Donald Trump’s trade agreement-in-principle with the United Kingdom (U.K.). Most importantly, the agreement includes market access for beef. This announcement follows years of NCBA’s hard work building the foundation for a trade deal with the U.K., including numerous meetings with British industry stakeholders, Members of Parliament, the British Embassy, the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and other top British authorities.
“With this trade deal, President Trump has delivered a tremendous win for American family farmers and ranchers,” said NCBA President Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattleman. “For years, American cattle producers have seen the United Kingdom as an ideal partner for trade. Between our countries’ shared history, culture, and their desire for high-quality American beef, securing a trade agreement is a natural step forward. Thank you President Trump for fighting for American cattle producers.”
NCBA has spent years advocating for expanded trade with the U.K. When the U.K. left the European Union in 2020, that opened the door to secure trade agreements with countries like the United States. British and American cattle producers share similar values and British consumers also enjoy American beef.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today also praised a new bilateral trade agreement that increases access for American agricultural products to the United Kingdom, including ethanol. The agreement was announced by President Donald Trump at a morning press conference at the White House.
“This is great news,” said Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We applaud President Trump and his administration for brokering this deal, and we encourage them to continue to include corn, corn ethanol and corn co-products in future bilateral agreements with other countries.”
During the announcement, Trump officials indicated that tariffs on U.S. ethanol will be reduced to zero. NCGA had previously asked the Trump administration for increased ethanol access in the United Kingdom. The country is currently the second largest destination for U.S. ethanol exports, taking in 244 million gallons, which is 12.7% of the total U.S. ethanol exports for 2024. Ethanol exports to the UK have steadily increased since 2021.
Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, commended the White House and President Trump this morning after his announcement of a trade deal that will potentially increase ethanol exports to the United Kingdom. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement in response saying “In terms of trade with the UK, the American ethanol industry had its best year ever last year, with exports valued at over $535 million. This trade agreement puts us on track to set another record, all to the benefit of American farmers, biofuel producers, and UK consumers. We look forward to learning more and finding new ways to help the UK achieve its economic and environmental goals through the increased use of American biofuels. We commend the President and his team for making this deal and creating new opportunities for American ethanol and rural America.”
