Britain’s food and drink sector has seen almost £100m of new export opportunities unlocked this year, as the government’s network of agri-food attachés continues to break down overseas trade barriers.

The government says the UK has seen 41 barriers removed since January, opening markets from live seafood to pork and dairy.

Industry estimates include access to Vietnam’s fast-growing live seafood sector worth £4m a year, £35m in annual dairy exports to Egypt, and a £3.8m pork deal with Mexico.

Food security minister Dame Angela Eagle said every removed barrier “opens another door for British farmers and food producers” and that the joint work between government and industry is helping boost growth and reinforce the UK’s food security.

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Dame Eagle said: “This boost to export opportunities shows what can be achieved when government works hand-in-hand with our food and farming sectors to champion British products across the globe.”

Set up to expand the global reach of the UK’s £37bn food and drink industry, the attaché programme has racked up a series of wins since launch, including opening the US market to British beetroot for the first time in 2024 and reopening pork routes to China worth £80m.

Attachés are in the UK this week (7 November) meeting producers across the country, from Yorkshire ag-tech firms to major alcohol exporters, to gather insight on export blockers and identify future market opportunities.

AHDB’s international trade lead Jonathan Eckley said collaboration with attachés and government was delivering “tangible results” for red meat and dairy exporters, helping to build a more diverse portfolio of global markets.