United States and United Kingdom announce trade deal; Trump highlights gains for farm products such as beef

The United States and the United Kingdom have announced a trade agreement—the first signed with the Trump administration after the wave of tariffs on foreign goods earlier this April. “We’re drafting the final details,” U.S. president Donald Trump told reporters, according to Euronews. “We’ll have everything signed in the coming weeks.”

Negotiated at remarkable speed, the deal is not a broad, comprehensive pact but focuses on specific sectors, easing trade barriers for agricultural products, cars, aluminum and steel. Although Trump hails it as a “complete and comprehensive” agreement, experts note that this overstates its scope; Congress must first give approval before a full scale trade deal can be negotiated.

Trump predicted the United States would boost exports of beef and ethanol to the United Kingdom, saying they would move through customs on a fast track basis. Such imports have historically been limited because of British concerns over the use of growth hormones in U.S. cattle production.

“The agreement includes billions of dollars in increased market access for U.S. exports—especially in agriculture—dramatically expanding access for U.S. beef, ethanol and virtually every product our great farmers produce,” Trump said.

Under the deal, the United Kingdom will remove its 20 percent tariff on U.S. beef and agree a reciprocal export quota of 13,000 tons per year for each country. In addition, the 19 percent British duty on U.S. ethanol is cut to zero on volumes of up to 1.4 billion liters.