Economist says Brexit will threaten UK exports to US

Considering the 31.8 billion a year American demand for organic food, independent economist Séan Rickard says British organic food producers must seize their opportunity to export goods to the US, while they can.

He states that existing trade – growing annually – is under threat unless a new equivalence agreement in regard to organic standards between the two countries is signed before the end of this year.

“A break in the ability of UK organic producers to export to the US would be extremely damaging if not fatal,” he says. “EU and other exports would grow to the detriment of the UK unless there is government action to move forwards on this equivalence issue.”

Commissioned by the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) to look into the value of this trade, he points out that the current agreement, which is an exchange of letters between two willing partners, will cease to apply post-Brexit, as it is between the US and EU, not between the US and UK.

“The UK organic sector enjoys a global reputation for its quality and integrity, and potentially stands to benefit from the expanding global market for organic products,” Rickard concludes.

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