UK food-and-drink export volumes increased in 2025 despite the impact of US tariffs, as the sector continued to adjust to post‑Brexit trading friction.
Figures from trade body The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) showed a “welcome recovery” in shipments, with kilogram exports up 6% to 8.9bn and litre exports up 6.2% to 1.3bn over the year.
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Despite the jump, the industry body stressed volumes remain “considerably lower” than pre-Brexit levels.
In value terms, UK food and drink exports climbed 4.8% to a record £25.6bn ($33.76bn) in 2025, the first time the sector has broken through the £25bn barrier.
Excluding alcohol, exports rose 6.9% to £18.1bn.
Europe remained the UK’s dominant trading partner in the food and drinks sector, accounting for 62.5% of exports and 74.1% of imports, with exports to the region rising 6% in value to £16bn.
The FDF said the value of UK food and drinks exported to the EU stood at £14.8bn, up from £14bn in 2024. UK exporters are still feeling the impact of Brexit, the organisation said.
“The export volume graph underlines how UK exports have structurally reset at a lower level since 2020. Despite some recovery in 2025, food export volumes are 31% lower in 2025 than in 2019,” the FDF said.
The UK and the EU are in talks over a new sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, which they are aiming to implement in mid-2027.
Last year, Ireland and France remained the two largest destinations for UK food-and-drink exports, followed by the US.
With a 10% levy now in place, UK food-and-drink exports to the US fell 8.6% year-on-year in the second half of 2025, with categories including infant formula seeing sharp declines. Exports to the US grew 3.6% to £2.8bn during 2025 as a whole.
Looking at the data by category, dairy products were among the strongest performers in 2025. Milk and cream exports rose 22.5% in value and 10.3% in volume, nearing the £1bn mark, while cheese exports grew 9.4% to £971m.
Whisky remained the top-selling UK food-and-drink export, though sales fell 0.8% to £5.5bn and by 4.3% in volume terms.
Elsewhere, exports to India increased 12.4% to £330.3m. The FDF described the UK–India free trade agreement, signed in July last year, as the “most significant post-Brexit trade deal” highlighting that the period before implementation should be used to build distributor relationships and prepare to scale up.
The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) also started to deliver “first meaningful returns” in 2025, the FDF added.
While total exports to CPTPP members slipped 1.4% in value terms to £2.1bn – dragged by alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – food export volumes to member countries rose 7.8%. Mexico was a standout with exports jumping 26.2% to £148.4m.
On the import side, UK food and drink imports rose 5.9% to a record £66.9bn in 2025. Import volumes increased to 38.5bn kg, up 2.5% on 2024 and 13.1% higher than in 2023.
Non-EU suppliers drove the fastest growth, with import values rising 11.8% to £20.7bn and volumes up 13.9%, lifting the non-EU share of imports to 30.9%.
According to FDF data, fruits, poultry and wine were the largest import categories by value at £5.8bn, £3.8bn and £3.8bn, respectively.
