The UK imports a wide range of food and drink from the USA, with top products including wine, tree nuts, spirits, soybeans, and prepared/processed foods like snacks and sauces. Other significant imports include bakery goods, cereals, and, more recently, increased, tariff-free beef.
Imports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products made up approximately half (£3.8 billion) of the UK's imports of chemicals from the United States. This includes medicines such as vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines as well as products such as bandages, wadding and gauze for use in medical, surgical or dental settings.
The UK produces only 60% of the food it consumes. The vast majority of imports and exports are with other Western European countries. Farming is subsidised, with subsidies to farmers totalling more than £3 billion (after deduction of levies).
We're British agriculture's biggest customer – proud champions of our British farmers and suppliers. We source our fruit and vegetables locally and in season where possible.
Currently, the US has a 1,000 t quota for exporting beef to the UK, which is subject to a 20% tariff. Under the prosperity deal, the 20% tariff will be removed and the USA will have a preferential beef TRQ of 13,000 t.
The service sector dominates, contributing 82% of GDP; the financial services industry is particularly important, and London is the second-largest financial centre in the world.
In the four quarters to the end of Q2 2025, the UK had a trade in goods surplus of £4.6 billion with United States, compared to a trade in goods surplus of £13.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2024.
We produce 53 million tonnes of oil per year in our waters, with an estimated 45 million tonnes of UK-produced oil leaving our shores. The UK imported 51 million tonnes of oil and oil products from countries including Norway, the US, Algeria and Canada.
The volume of imports is driven by the level of domestic production, market conditions such as the price, existing stock levels, and customer demand. Due to environmental and climate conditions, the UK is consistently reliant on imports to meet demand for some arable crops.
This is crucial to help bolster food security, something the government has outlined as critical to our national infrastructure. According to 2023 Defra figures, the UK is 62% self-sufficient in food. While this reflects similar levels of the past decade, some sectors have seen a recent decline.
The UK has booming sectors in Technology & IT, driven by AI, software, and cybersecurity; Renewable Energy & Green Tech, fueled by net-zero goals; Healthcare, with high demand for various professionals; Construction & Infrastructure, supported by projects; and Logistics & E-commerce, due to online shopping growth, with strong showings also in FinTech, Creative Industries, and Education Technology, according to data from late 2024 and 2025.
100% of our British produce is assured by the Red Tractor, meaning its farmed with care. 100% of our fresh everyday milk, butter, eggs, cream, chicken, pork and beef is from British suppliers. Find out how our £21 billion investment has supported the next generation of British food and farming.
Costco sources beef from the heavily polluted San Joaquin Valley in California. There is an inverse relationship between PM2. 5 emission and distance to the feedlots.
While trade occurred only occasionally in the distant past, US beef was suspended from importation to Australia in 2003, following the discovery of BSE in the US beef herd. After a lengthy process, the Federal Government formally announced the renewed trade access back on 25 July – for both US and Canadian beef.
Food security, even in the UK, is more fragile than it might seem. Our shelves look full until suddenly they do not. A combination of climate-driven harvest failures, rising energy prices and trade disruptions could create national shortages or unaffordable prices much more quickly than many people may expect.
A significant portion of the UK's food imports is made up of fresh fruits and vegetables. This not only includes items such as bananas, avocados, soft fruits and exotic vegetables but also more everyday items such as tomatoes that can't be grown in the UK all year round.
