10 UK International Trade News You Might’ve Missed – Week 41
In this edition of Export News from Expordite, we’ll cover the top 10 UK international trade news and headlines from week 41 of 2024 — October 7th-13th, 2024
Key News
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£160m boost for UK poultry industry as exports to South Africa restart
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New unit to boost effectiveness of UK sanctions against Russia
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UK announces support to drive stability and growth in Ethiopia
Top International Trade News
1. £160m boost for UK poultry industry as exports to South Africa restart
“British poultry can once again reach South African tables, after the UK secured market access estimated to bring up to £160m to industry over the next five years.
The development will allow UK traders to export poultry to South Africa for the first time in eight years, after restrictions were placed on UK imports following outbreaks of avian influenza in the UK. The UK was declared free from avian influenza earlier this year.
Lowering this trade barrier has been one of the UK’s priorities for agricultural trade, and its resolution marks a significant step forward, benefiting South African consumers with access to high-quality and securely supplied poultry meat.
South Africa has historically been an important market for UK poultry, with exports of poultry worth over £37 million to South Africa in 2016. Teams from across government have worked in combination with their counterparts in South Africa for many years to regain market access. “
Source: GOV.uk
2. UK and Switzerland kick off trade talks
“The UK will on Monday [14 October] kickstart negotiations with Switzerland on an enhanced and upgraded Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Switzerland is the UK’s 10th largest trading partner and 7th largest export market, with total trade between our two countries worth £51bn in 2023. The talks, the first to take place under this Government, provide a chance to further strengthen our trading relationship, drive economic growth and create jobs across the UK.
The UK and Switzerland are both leading service-based economies, with services trade accounting for nearly £30 billion of UK-Swiss trade, despite our existing trade agreement focusing mostly on goods.“
Source: GOV.uk
3. UK government seals further £225 million investment in Teesside renewables industry with financing deal
“Based in Teesside, one of the world’s largest offshore wind technology factories will become even bigger after new government support for a South Korean investor.
Supported by backing from UK Export Finance (UKEF), SeAH Wind UK has now made an additional £225 million investment into wind technology manufacturing in Teesside. This brings their total investment into the site at Teesworks Freeport up to £900 million.
Wind monopiles act as the foundation for most offshore wind turbines and are critical to the growth of the global renewable energy sector. Upon completion of the factory, SeAH Wind UK will export to US and European markets. “
Source: GOV.uk
4. New unit to boost effectiveness of UK sanctions against Russia
“UK sanctions against Russia are set to be strengthened as the Government launches a new unit to help companies comply with trade sanctions and penalise those who do not.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK implemented its most comprehensive set of sanctions against a major economy, with over £20 billion worth of trade with Russia now sanctioned.
The new Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI), launching today, will work with industry to make complying with sanctions obligations as straightforward as possible by issuing guidance and user-friendly online tools.“
Source: GOV.uk
5. TRA recommendation to keep protections on ceramic tiles accepted
“The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has accepted the Trade Remedies Authority’s recommendation to maintain an anti-dumping measure on ceramic tiles from China, except on certain larger subsets of the product that are not produced in the UK.
In its Final Recommendation the TRA recommended that the anti-dumping measure on ceramic tiles with a surface area of less than or equal to 3600cm2, with no tile edge greater than 600mm in length, be maintained for a further five years.“
Source: GOV.uk
6. Norfolk boat builder wins major offshore wind contract with government backing
“Alicat Workboats has secured a major contract to build offshore wind workboats after UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK export credit agency, helped it to access a £2 million financing package.
With the new capital, Alicat will be able to build two workboats worth almost £1 million each for export to Turkey. Both workboats will be manufactured in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, using 100% British materials.
Virgin Money provided the facility, which is backed by a UKEF guarantee offered through its General Export Facility (GEF) product. Without the support, Alicat may have had to turn down these contracts and lose them to overseas competition.“
Source: GOV.uk
7. UK announces support to drive stability and growth in Ethiopia
“New UK funding announced today [10 October] will promote greater stability and will boost exports in the textile and garments sector, Ethiopia’s largest manufacturing export.
Rebuilding communities devastated by civil war, the UK will accelerate economic recovery. The Minister will visit a factory that has just re-started exporting garments to the UK, and will announce £6.9 million of three-year support for Ethiopia’s textiles and garments sector.
Funding will be provided for several regions in Ethiopia including Tigray, and aims to improve working conditions for 7,000 female workers and increase exports by 20% over three years.“
Source: GOV.uk
8. US trade officials discuss roadmap for future UK exports
“US ag-trade officials visited British vegetable grower G’s Group last week to discuss UK veg export opportunities to the United States.
G’s Group said discussions during the visit ranged from the opportunity for the recent beetroot agreement to act as a roadmap for future export access for UK crops such as celery and radish, to how UK and US growers can work together on automation projects to improve productivity and reduce harvest labour requirements.“
Source: Fresh Produce Journal
9. Scottish food and drink exports ‘at risk’ as Labour eye GM food laws
“SCOTLAND’S world-class food and drink exports could be hit with a horse-meat-style scandal if Labour push through legislation left in limbo by the last Tory government, it has been warned.
It comes after Food Minister Daniel Zeichner told a World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit it was “critical to drive forward” the Conservative legislation that would introduce genetically modified foods onto UK shelves for the first time – without the requirement to label them as such.“
Source: The National
10. Anger at UK’s ‘bonkers’ plan to reach net zero by importing fuel from North Korea
“A plan by the British government to burn biomass imported from countries including North Korea and Afghanistan has been described as “bonkers”, with critics saying it undermines the credibility of the UK’s climate strategy.
About a third of the biomass used in the UK is imported. In 2021, 9.1m tonnes of wood pellets for use in energy production came from abroad – about 76% from North America and 18% from the EU. But there is not enough wood in these regions to supply the large expansion in bioenergy that the government is banking on.“
Source: The Guardian
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